Come Sail Away
by MM-TartLover-MM
Summary: Stephanie is asked to take a vacation with someone after her car blows up again. Come follow them through their time on the sea as they get to know each other.
1. Chapter 1

_I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read my story and giving me a chance. I think this story will keep you entertained and wanting to come back for me... at least that is my goal. ;) Starting out, this will be rated for everyone... it might change later on, but I'll let you know if it does._

Come Sail Away – Chapter 1

Walking into my apartment, I tossed my purse on the counter and cringed when I saw my answering machine blinking like a mad man. I knew what the messages were going to be, so instead of listening to them, I just deleted them all. I didn't want to hear it again; I heard it enough at the crime scene. Between the yelling from one man and the absence of the other, my day had gone to shit.

I guess I should explain a little, huh? I'm Stephanie Plum and a bounty hunter for my cousin Vinnie. I may not be very good at my job, but hey, I always get my man… or woman in today's case.

I have an on-again off-again boyfriend, Joe Morelli; he's the one that was yelling as usual. We are currently in an off phase, although after today, we are off permanently. He has no respect for me or my job. He's constantly berating me and demanding that I quit my job and become a housewife while popping out enough kids to have our own football team. Nope, sorry, not gonna happen buster.

Who was the absent man, you ask? Well, that would be my mentor, best friend, and one time lover. That would be Ricardo Carlos Manoso aka Ranger. He's my Batman; he's always there to rescue me, always there for a shoulder when I need one, and he never tells me I can't do my job. Quite the opposite actually. He wants to train me so I'm better. He helps me with cars when mine blow up, he gives me shelter when there's a stalker, and he's wonderful to look at when I'm having a crappy day.

Where is he? I'll tell you where. He's in Atlanta, that's where. He's there because I inadvertently told him I was in love with him five months ago. Hey, don't give me that look, I was drugged. I can't be held responsible for my actions when I am under the influence of pain pills. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Now, I bet you want to know what happened today, right? Well, it started out like any other day.

_I woke up, showered, dressed, fed Rex, and headed for the Bonds Office. I stopped at the Tasty Pastry on the way and picked up a dozen donuts for me and the girls. When I walked in the office, the box was pulled from my hands by Lula._

_Lula, a former 'ho, is my sometimes partner and part-time file clerk for Vinnie. "Girl, it's about damn time you got yo ass here wit these donuts. I can't be waitin' foevea."_

_Connie, the office manager, was putting the finishing touches on her blood red nail polish. "Steph, just give her donuts and no one will be hurt."_

_Looking at Lula then back to Connie, I asked, "What's up?"_

"_I jus need a little suga," Lula said as she crammed the donut in her mouth._

"_She's been on a warpath since she got here," Connie told me as blew on her nails. "Something about Tank, overtime, and no sex."_

"_Tankie's been working so much lately, I ain't been getting any. I need it regularly, ya know. Now, I ain't as bad as you," she said while she pointed at me, "but dammit, I gots needs ya know. Tankie, he comes home and crashes as soon as his ass hits the bed. I ain't seen him nekkid in a week."_

_I tried to keep from laughing, I really did. I guess you could blame it on the lack of sex for me as well. Once I started laughing, I couldn't stop. When I looked up and saw the death glare from Lula, I sucked in a breath and held it until I had the giggles under control. "I'm sorry, Lula. I'm not laughing at you, just the situation."_

"_Hmmp," Lula said as she turned and headed back to the files._

"_So, Connie. Have anything for me?"_

"_Yeah, right here," she said as she handed me two files. "The first one is a regular, Mooner. The other one is a new one. She's kind of a high bond, but not high enough to give to Rangeman."_

_I flipped the file open and scanned it; Kim Wheeler, age thirty-seven, wanted for attempted murder. "Attempted murder?" I asked Connie._

"_Yeah, seems she found her husband with his dick buried in the neighbor and she stabbed him."_

_I stifled a laugh, "Well, I guess that's one way to handle him screwing the neighbor lady."_

_While trying to contain her laughter, Connie told me, "Read farther."_

_I read the police report and shivered. Seems Mr. Wheeler had a thing for his neighbor, who happened to be a male. Mrs. Wheeler came home, found her husband's dick buried in the neighbor's ass, grabbed the kitchen steak knife, and stabbed her husband's dick as he pulled out. _

"_Damn, a woman after my own heart," I told the girls. "I'll go see what I can do. Mooner won't be ready until around three anyway. Thanks, Connie. Have a great day," I said as I left the office._

_Slipping into my Ford Focus, I cranked up the music and pulled onto the street. I had an address for the Wheeler's and figured I'd just check to see if she was home. Pulling up in front of the dilapidated house, I saw movement inside. Making sure I had my stun-gun and cuffs, I walked up the creaky steps and knocked on the door._

_The door creaked open and a woman wearing daisy duke shorts and a skintight tank top stood before me. "Whadda you want?"_

"_Are you Kim Wheeler?" She nodded. "I'm Stephanie Plum and I represent Plum Bail Bonds. You missed your court date and I'm here to take you down to be rebonded."_

_Opening the door wider, she stood back, "Come on in while I take the cake out of the oven, then we can go."_

_I wasn't sure if it was a trap or not, but I could smell the cake, so I figured it was safe. I followed Kim into the kitchen and sat down. _

"_You know why I was arrested?" she asked._

"_Yeah, I read the police report. Was he really screwing the neighbor? And was it really a man?" So sue me, I was curious!_

"_Oh yes, hunny. He had his dick buried so far in him, I thought for sure he was going to get stuck," she laughed. "But, I got him good. Stabbed that dick right at the base while he was pulling out. Blood over both of them."_

"_Damn, that had to have hurt."_

"_Sure as hell did. Fucker screamed like a sissy." Taking the cake out of the oven, she turned off the heat, and sat the cake on the top of the stove. "He's out of the hospital and plans on coming over here later today. I told him I'd have a cake as a piece offering."_

"_You what? Why the hell would you do that?" I asked her._

"_Well, I felt bad for hurting him," she said with a smile. "So, I'm making it up to him. He loves chocolate. So I made him one… I just added an extra ingredient to it." She looked on the counter, picked up a box, and handed it to me._

_Looking at the label, I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out, "He's gonna shit when he finds out! Literally!" I said still laughing. The box was labeled X-Lax and it was empty; she'd used the entire box in her cake._

"_Okay, we can go now," she informed me as she grabbed her purse. She reached for the doorknob, but it swung open before she touched it. "Ken, honey, you're home."_

_Mr. Wheeler looked at her and nodded, "Yeah, got done early. Have to go back tomorrow to have the infection looked at again." I so didn't want to know what type of infection he was talking about, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the stabbing. "Who are you?" he asked._

"_Oh, she's here to take me back to the police station. I forgot my court date was yesterday. The cake is on the stove, ready for you to eat. I'll be back as soon as I can be," Kim told him._

_When we drove to the station, she began laughing, "Oh man. I need to find someplace to stay tonight. He's gonna be so pissed when that cake hits him."_

_I called Connie to meet us at the station and asked her if she still had a spare bedroom in her place. I explained what was going to happen with the cake and she agreed that Kim could stay at her place for a while._

_When we reached the police station, I walked in with Kim and noticed Joe, Eddie, Robin, and Big Dog standing near the desk. "Shit," I muttered under my breath, but Kim heard me._

"_Which one is the ass?" she asked._

_Before I could answer, Joe walked up, "Hey there, Cupcake. The boys miss you," he whispered._

"_I'm sure Terri can keep them company," I replied as I pushed past him. Walking up to the desk, I saw Robin trying to hide her grin._

"_Hey, Steph," she said. "Got your papers?"_

_I handed her the papers and waited for my receipt. Kim leaned over and whispered, "Cupcake? The boys? What is he, five?"_

_Stifling a laugh, I just shrugged and waited for the receipt. Once I had it, I looked at Kim, "Connie should be here in just a few minutes, okay?"_

"_Sure, and thanks for finding me a place to stay. I really appreciate it."_

_I walked out of the station and saw Lester standing against my vehicle. Slipping on my shades, I walked up to him and smiled, "Hey, Les."_

"_Beautiful," he replied with a tip of his lips. _

"_Looking for me or do you always hang out at the cop shop?"_

"_Saw your car here when we drove by, thought we'd stop and see how you were doing," he replied._

_I looked in the SUV and saw Bobby in the driver seat so I waved at him. Les leaned in and kissed my forehead before jumping in the vehicle, "Catch ya later." As soon as he was in, they took off._

_Okay then, that was… interesting. Looking at my watch, I figured I had enough time to stop at the office and drop off my receipt in exchange for a check. As I pulled in, I saw Lula and Tank talking. Sending off a finger wave to Tank, I meandered in and waited for Connie to return from bailing out Kim again._

_When Connie arrived, I handed her my check, "Thanks for letting her stay with you."_

"_No problem. I have the room and, after talking with her, I think she'll be a great roommate." Connie handed me my check, "Going after Mooner now?"_

"_Nah, still have a few hours yet. Think I'm going to go cash this and get some lunch." When I turned around, Tank and Lula walked in, "Hey Big Guy."_

"_Bomber. How's it going?" Tank asked me._

"_Pretty well. Got a skip, no garbage, no falls, nothing. I'd say it's gonna be a good day," I smiled at him. And that was my problem. I jinxed myself. Because right then, a car came speeding down the street and the passenger tossed a Molotov cocktail in my car. KABOOM… my car was gone and I got to see it actually happen this time. I have to admit, it was pretty damn cool seeing how high shit flew in the air._

_Tank threw me and Lula on the ground and covered us as much as he could. Personally, I don't know how we weren't turned into pancakes. I mean have you seen this guy? He has his name for a reason!_

_Anyway, after the spectacular fire show died down a little, Tank got up and called Rangeman while Connie called the fire department. _

"_White girl, whose wheeties did you piss in today?" Lula asked._

_Shrugging, I just replied, "Damned if I know."_

_I sat on the couch and waited… I knew the police and fire would be here soon. I could hear the sirens coming down the street. The only question I had was would Rangeman beat them? Ah yes, there they are now; Rangeman coming in from the east while the police and fire barge in from the west. The race is on… who will finish first… Rangeman is in the lead…_

_Tank laughed a full belly laugh which startled the hell out of me. Spinning around I looked at him, "What?"_

"_The race is on? Shit, Bomber. You're too much sometimes," he replied as he ruffled my hair._

"_Shit, that was out loud again?" Tank just smiled and nodded. Oh well, looking back to see who won, I wasn't surprised when Bobby and Les pulled in just in front of Joe's car._

_As everyone stepped out of their vehicles, I decided it was time to face the mob; uh, I mean crowd of concerned citizens. Joe saw me and made his way over at an extremely fast pace. "Jesus Christ, Stephanie. What the hell did you do this time? I just saw you a little bit ago at the station. Why can't you have a normal fucking job and stop doing this crap. I swear I'm going to have a hole the size of Texas in my stomach soon."_

_I stood there listening partially. Mostly I was just looking at the freaking hot ass firemen putting my flames, I mean the car flames, out._

"_Stephanie! Are you even listening to me? God damn it, I can't keep doing this shit. Either you stop this playing around and marry me or we are done. I mean it."_

_I looked at Joe and laughed, "Joe, I told you seven months ago we were done. What makes you think we're together now?"_

_He stood there, steam rolling out his ears, mouth opening and closing. Finally, he stormed off in a huff._

_I felt a hand come down on my shoulder and I instantly knew whom it was. There was only one Merry Man who smelled like him, like Drakkar mixed with his own scent. Leaning my body back against his, I allowed some of his strength to soak into me. After a few minutes, he leaned down and whispered, "Are you okay?"_

_I nodded, "I was inside this time. Got to see the whole thing as it happened. Quite amazing actually." I figured if I kept talking then I wouldn't break down and cry at the loss of my car. You'd think I'd be use to it by now, but dammit, I liked that car._

_He turned me around and hugged me to him. Being enveloped in his arms allowed the tears to break free. "I think you need a vacation, Sweetheart," he said as he wiped my tears and pushed my hair off my face._

"_I can't afford one," I shrugged. "I need to keep my money and get a new car now."_

"_Well," he said low enough that no one else could hear, "I'm taking one next week. You're more than welcome to join me. No cost."_

_Looking up in his baby blue eyes, I asked, "What are you doing that would be no cost to me?"_

"_Come sail away with me for a few weeks. It's amazing what being out on the ocean with no one else around can do for you. It gives you time to break free from everything and experience new things." He kissed me on the forehead, "Think about it. I leave in two days. I'll be gone for two weeks."_

_I closed my eyes and nodded that I'd think on it. When I opened my eyes, he was gone and one of the Rangeman SUVs was driving off. I needed to go home and think so I looked at Lula, "Can I get a ride home after the cops are done?"_

"_Sure," she replied and went in the office to grab her purse._

_I walked over to Eddie and gave him my statement telling him I'd come sign it tomorrow. Right then, all I wanted was to go home and relax. Eddie took down the information on the vehicle I'd seen; a green four-door sedan, rust on the rear passenger quarter panel. The hood was red with a white stripe. _

_Once Eddie was done, he gave me a hug, "Glad you weren't in the car this time, Steph. Take it easy and I'll have your report ready in the morning."_

"_Thanks, Eddie," I told him and turned around to see Lula standing by her car. I walked over and slipped in the passenger seat ready to get out of here._

"_So," Lula started as she turned over the engine, "Which merry man was that?" I gave her a look like what are you talking about and she clucked her tongue, "Don't give me that look missy. I know you know exactly what I'm talking about. He had his arms around you, you were leaning against him, and then he's whispering in yo ear. Spill it."_

"_Nothing going on there, Lula. He's just a friend like the rest of them. They all get a little strange when I'm in danger. I can't help it." I really didn't want to keep talking about it for fear I'd slip and tell her that he invited me to go on vacation with him. Thankfully, we pulled into my lot a few seconds later. "Thanks, Lula. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"_

"_Okay white girl. Take it easy the rest of the day. I'll get Mooner for ya if you want."_

_I thought about it and agreed; not like I had a vehicle at the moment. I wasn't ready to get Big Blue from my parents yet; nope, didn't want to do the Spanish Inquisition tonight. Guess it's a good thing I have mac-n-cheese in the freezer._

_I headed into the building and watched Lula pull out of the lot. As I was waiting for the elevator, I asked myself if I could go on vacation for two weeks. Sailing? I've never been sailing. Would he expect me to know anything about it? Would he expect me to help sail his boat? God I hope not. I didn't want to be responsible for crashing a boat at sea and not having a way to get home._

Anyway, that is what happened today and why I'm currently standing in my kitchen, waiting on the microwave to beep so I can eat, and wondering what the hell I'm going to do about the offer of a vacation.

* * *

_There you have the first chapter! Please, let me know what you thought. I promise the rest of the chapters will be in the current time, no entire-chapter flash backs. _

_AJ_


	2. Chapter 2

_I can't believe how well this was recevied! I thank you all for the reviews you've left. I hope you'll follow along the entire story and let me know if there's something you'd like to see happen, if something contradicts itself, or anything else. I'm very open to constructive critisism and suggestions! Here is chapter 2. I hope you'll enjoy!_

I must have fallen asleep on my couch after finishing off half of my mac-n-cheese because the next thing I knew there was a hand on my face brushing the hair from my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I knew who was there.

"Hi," I whispered as I cracked my eyelids. Yep, I was right… yay me!

"Hey, sweetheart. You feeling okay?" Junior asked as I sat up to give him room.

"Actually, I am." I smiled when he sat down and pulled me back to lay my head on his lap. We'd grown accustomed to this position on the couch during the last five months. When Ranger left, Junior was the one to come check on me. He found me curled up in a ball on my bed, with tears streaming down my face. Being the gentleman that he is, he curled up and held me while I cried myself to sleep. Imagine my surprise when he was still there the next morning. I thought for sure he'd be like the other men and walk out before sunrise.

Anyway, I digress. Flipping onto my back, I stared up into his baby blues, "Why are you here?"

"I came bearing gifts," he said with a smile.

"Gifts?" I asked as I tried to situate myself so I could find them.

"Three actually. One for now, one for later tonight, and one for another time."

"Where are they?"

"Like Toucan said, Follow your nose," he teased me.

I stood up and looked around my small apartment. I spotted the now present. There, sitting in the middle of my kitchen table, was the white bag with the logo known to every person in Trenton. I sniffed the air to see if I was correct. Oh, that was a bad idea! Not only did I smell that I needed to change Rex's cage, but I could also smell the Ben Gay seeping in from under my door. That is one of the drawbacks to living in an old folks place.

Looking down at Junior, I smiled, "Pino's?"

With a small nod, he stood up from the couch and grabbed my hand. After I was seated at the table, he pulled two glasses from the cabinet and filled them with ice. On top of the ice, he poured some Coke and then added a little bit of vanilla.

With a smirk on his face, he handed one to me, "You said the next time I came over with food, you'd try a Vanilla Coke."

I stuck my tongue out at him; I mean seriously, how can you taint the taste of Coke with vanilla. That should be a sin!

Junior winked at me and said, "You might want to be careful about sticking that thing out. You never know what might happen to it." Picking up the glass, he held it to my lips, "Now take a sip."

Begrudgingly, I took a sip. When the taste of the Coke and vanilla hit my lips, I had to fight a moan. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right and, once again, I was wrong.

"You like it, huh?" he said with a smart-ass smile.

I shrugged and reached for my sub, "It's okay, I guess." I was just hoping that he'd leave the glass within reach; I was amazed at how much I liked the taste of them together. Maybe I should give in and try other things he'd been trying to get to test.

"Have you thought about my offer?" he asked after pulling his sub from the bag.

"Actually, I have. Part of me wants to say yes, please take me away from here for a few weeks. But, then the part that I want to bitch slap says I can't go. I have to stay here and work so I can afford a new car."

Studying me for a moment, he finally asked, "How long did it take until you bitch slapped her?"

"Who says I did?" I asked him as I took another bite.

"Ah, you forget, I know you now, sweetheart. You probably had an entire conversation in your head and finally just told sensible Steph to shut the fuck up and that you were going with me no matter what, am I correct?"

Ya know, I use to hate the fact that Ranger could read me like an open book, but with Junior it's different. He doesn't use it against me to keep from talking, he actually has more than a handful of words in his vocabulary.

"Yeah, I'm going. I just need to let everyone know that I'll be gone. Should be fun telling Vinnie that I won't be picking up skips for a few weeks. That should go over really well. I can hear him now, _if you take a two week vacation, I'll have to hire Barnyard to pick up skips, then she won't be here servicing me!_."

Junior laughed so hard I thought for sure he was going to fall out of the chair. "Well, we can always have the guys pick up your skips."

"Oh no! They'd scare half of them. I mean, come on. Have you looked in a mirror lately? Have you looked at the other guys?"

Okay, here is where my problem lies. The men that I occasionally work with are, how shall I put this? Freaking HOTT! However, with their size, they tend to scare people… especially since they never crack a smile while out in public. I swear it's against Rangeman policy to smile outside the building.

Let's take Junior as an example, shall we? He's six foot three, weighs probably around one hundred eight-five pounds and he's alllllllll muscle. He has the most amazing baby blue eyes I've ever seen and his hair is sandy blond. He has the cutest little dimples when he smiles, and that only seems to happen when we're alone. I've seen him without his shirt, we'll get to how and when later, and I could wash my clothes on his body.

Now, not all the men are like Junior, but pretty damn close! If I could have my own little island, I'd store the men away there so no other person could have them. Now, I know that sounds a little mean, but seriously. No one respects these men like I do. Most women think they are thugs, gangbangers, murderers, and the like. But, I know differently. All of the men are loving, caring, and devoted to their friends and family.

Okay, need to stop thinking about all the men and myself on an island. Holy hot flash! Taking a gulp of the vanilla laced coke, I looked up at Junior. "I was kind of hoping I could get out of town without telling the guys where I was going and who with."

"Wanting to keep your destination a secret or the fact that you're leaving me?" Junior quizzed me.

"I just don't want them to think that it's more than a couple of friends going sailing. Speaking of which," yeah, I'm trying to change the subject, so sue me. "Are you going to expect me to help you sail? I've never been and I know nothing about boats."

"I'll do all the work the first few days, but then I'm going to teach you how to sail. You'll be a pro by the time we return," he joked; or at least I hoped he was joking. "Now, stop changing the subject. Is it the fact that you don't want them to know where you are going or the fact you're going with me?"

"Honeslty," I started. I knew I needed to tell him, but it just sounded so bad when I said it in my head. "I'm afraid of what Ranger will say and do when he finds out I went on vacation with you."

"Are you still holding out hope for him?" Junior asked me.

See, here's the thing, Junior knows all about me and Ranger. He knows about the deal, the one night, and the next morning. He knows about the stolen alley kisses, the hot and cold cycle, all that crap. I told you Junior and I had spent a lot of time together in the past five months, right?

Junior says I need to give up on Ranger and move on. That Ranger is an ass for the way he's treated me and that I should let a real man show me how a woman should be treated. When I jokingly asked Junior if he was volunteering for the position, he didn't answer. Guess he wasn't.

"No, I'm not holding out hope. I just don't want him to come home, find out about the vacation, and then proceed to beat the shit out of you."

"Wouldn't be the first time," he told me. After clearing away the trash from dinner, he pulled me to the living room and sat down on the couch. He motioned for me to resume what has become our normal position. As I laid my head on his lap, he began rubbing circles on my arm. I've come to notice this as the _nervous Junior_, meaning he has something to say but doesn't want to upset me.

"Just say it," I whispered. I also knew that, if nothing else, Junior was always honest with me. Even if he knew it would upset me, he'd never lied to me yet.

"I just don't want you putting your life on hold and waiting around for him. He's not a relationship type of guy. He's married to the government. He could have gotten out last year, but he signed on for another three."

Well, slap me and call me clueless! I had no idea Ranger could have been done with his contract last year. What the hell? Did he not love me after all? _He always told us he loved us in his own way_ said the stupid sensible bitch. I know that… I was there when he said it.

Trying to hold back the tears, I flipped on my side so I wasn't looking at Junior, but he knew better. "Sweetheart, I don't mean to hurt you, you know that. I'm just trying to get you to see that he's not going to change no matter how much you love him."

"I know," I admitted. "I guess it just hurts to know he lied to me."

"How?" Junior asked.

"He didn't tell me he re-signed. I've always asked him when his time was up and he has always answered with an I'm not sure. He knew; so he lied."

Junior ran his fingers through my hair and I wanted to beg him to never stop; my God it felt so wonderful. "Steph, he didn't lie. He's not sure when he'll stop his government work."

"Well, a lie by omission is still a lie. He could have told me that his contract was up and he re-signed." Deciding I didn't want to talk about Ranger any more, I flipped back over on my back, wiped my eyes, and asked, "What all do I need to pack?"

Laughing, Junior looked down at me with his baby blues sparkling, "Well, that depends on how much you want to take. We'll mostly be on the yacht or the jet skis, but we might stop in a few places along the way. Oh, and pack that little blue bikini."

"Okay," I replied before I realized what he'd said, "Wait! How'd you know I have a blue bikini?"

I swear I saw his cheeks turn red, honestly! "Well, one of the last times you were in the hospital and needed clothes, I sort of had to go through your dresser to find appropriate ones. I may have happened to see a blue bikini."

I swear on my grandfather's grave, Junior's cheeks became even redder than before. He was embarrassed to admit going through my things. "Find anything else in there that you liked?" I am so bad, but I can't help but tease him. I like seeing the red tint to his cheeks. It is especially adorable when he's blushing while smiling… red dimples!

I knew the instant Junior thought back to going through my dresser and liking something. And based on the color of his cheeks, I'd say he most likely found my lingerie drawer.

Deciding to play with him a little, I walked my fingers up his chest, "What color did you like? The red? The blue? Oh wait a minute, it was the black barely there one, right?"

Junior leaned down as far as he could; we were nose to nose, and he whispered, "Truth be told, the purple one did it for me."

I had to think about the purple one. I don't have a purp… Oh shit! I looked in his eyes and noticed they were no longer baby blue, but a darker, more intense blue. "The… the purple one, huh?" He nodded and I sucked in a breath, "Um, well, it's never been worn."

"Bring it," he groaned out. His voice was so low and deep, I wasn't sure it was really him talking, but it got my hormones running!

I blame my seven-month hiatus of sex on my next move. Honestly, I don't know what came over me, but I couldn't have stopped myself if I tried. I sat up and straddled Junior's lap. Leaning down, I whispered, "What if that is all that I bring?"

I could feel the instant reaction to my sitting in his lap and let's just say… wow! I could think of so many things to do with what was under me, but I was having a very difficult time thinking of why I got into this position.

"Sweetheart, if that is all you bring, I wouldn't mind. However, if we were to stop in a town, the women of said town might be a tad bit upset."

In his eyes, I could see the struggle Junior was having. "What's the matter?" I whispered in his ear.

"Sweetheart," he groaned out, "I don't know what you're up to, but you best make sure whatever you're about to do is what you want to have happen. I only have so much control."

And there were the buckets of ice cold water. Resting my head on his shoulder, I closed my eyes, "Shit, I'm sorry." I tried to disengage myself from his lap, but his hands clamped down on my hips holding me there.

"I'm not going to let you run," he notified me. "We are going on this trip and we will be talking. A lot." He finally let me move, but not before adding, "I'll leave you alone for tonight and tomorrow, but come tomorrow night, it's just the two of us for two weeks. By the time we get back, we will have things figured out."

Junior kissed me on the head and showed himself out. I sat on my couch replaying the evening in my head. Should I have done something differently? Nope, not that I could see. Did I want to have done things differently? Mmm… maybe. I like Junior, I really do. I've developed feelings for him during these past few months, but I'm not sure what those feelings are.

Judging by what he said before he left, I guess we'll be looking in those feelings a lot while we are sailing. Wait! Hold on a minute… did he say we were going on a YACHT? Jet skis? Oh hell… what have I gotten myself into?

I picked up my phone and dialed a number without even thinking. On the first ring, I heard, "What's up?"

"A freaking YACHT? Are you kidding me?"

"I wondered how long it would take until you realized I said that," he laughed at me. The man actually laughed… oh the sound of that was amazing. I wanted to hear it more often and I planned on making that happen. "Steph, you still there?"

"Oh, yeah. Um… a yacht. Please tell me it is not a Rangeman Yacht." I knew if it was, then it would have trackers all over the place.

"No, Sweetheart. The yacht is all mine. Bought and paid for with my own money. There are no Rangeman trackers on it. I promise," he told me.

"Okay."

"Steph, we'll have fun, I promise you that. You will forget all about Trenton while we're away."

"I know I will," I told him, and I honestly believed it.

"I'll see you tomorrow night."

"What's tomorrow night? I thought we weren't leaving until Sunday." I mean, he did say two days, right?

"I plan on sleeping on the yacht Saturday night, so come early Sunday we can head out. I usually take the night before to stock the fridge and cupboards, make sure clothes are put away and that everything is set."

"That makes sense. Um, how many beds does the yacht of yours have?" I wouldn't mind sleeping in his bed, but I don't want to complicate things. But to have his nice hot body next to mine; okay, damn, where's the fan!

"It has three bedrooms. Don't worry, I'll let you pick the one you want. Get some sleep and I'll be over tomorrow night to pick you up."

"Thanks, Junior. See ya later," I told him as we hung up.

I cleaned up the living room a little, fed Rex; shit, what am I going to do with Rex for two weeks? Guess I can call Mary Lou and see if the boys can take him for a little bit. After I was done cleaning, I took a quick shower and fell into bed wearing my panties and one of Juniors Marine t-shirts. He still doesn't know I have it; he left it here by accident a few months ago and it's sooooo soft and comfy I just couldn't give it back to him. Maybe I can acquire a few more on the trip!


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up early with the thought of all I needed to accomplish as I was leaving with Junior tonight. Mentally running through my list I realized I needed to find a place for Rex. I called Mary Lou and she said the boys could take care of him. They'd been asking for a puppy and she decided if they could take care of Rex for two weeks, then they'd see about a puppy.

I'm not so sure how comfortable I am with that. I mean come on, they're going to use my poor Rex as a test subject? Maybe I'd be better off asking the guys if he can stay at RangeMan. Hmm, on second thought, I'm not sure that would be any safer!

Why not you ask? Let me tell you a little about the last time the guys took care of Rex. Lester took him out of the cage, placed a collar on him, and proceeded to walk him on a leash around the office. Sometime during the walk, his little head (Rex's not Lester's) slipped out of the collar and he was running scared throughout the office. Bobby wanted to capture him (again, Rex not Les) and put a GPS chip inside him! My poor baby. Instead, Hal bought a plastic ball and stuffed Rex inside it. So, there he was rolling down the hall bumping into walls. I swear he ended up with a concussion. Yeah, I think I'll take my chances with Mary Lou's boys. At least she'll be there to supervise!

Next on my list was to let my parents know I was leaving town for a few weeks. Oh, that should be fun. I dressed and decided it was time to head to my parents place. Maybe I can grab some lunch while there.

Pulling up to the curb, I saw Grandma and Mom standing on the porch. I swear they live there and only go inside when someone shows up. I mean, seriously, how else do they know when someone's coming.

"Hi Mom. Hi Grandma."

"What, no package with you today?" Grandma asked.

"No, Grandma. I'm solo today."

We followed Mom inside the house and I could smell the hot turkey sandwiches. "Stephanie, are you staying for lunch?" Mom asked.

"Yes and I need to talk to you," I told her as I reached for the lunch plates. After we sat down, I decided to just drop it on her, "Mom, I'm leaving town for a couple of weeks."

She looked up at me with that look on her face. You know the one I'm talking about… the one that says "why me?" Three… two… one… and here we go! "Stephanie, please tell me you are not going to work out of town with those… those thugs!"

Okay! One. Two. Three. Forty. One thousand. Nope, counting isn't really my thing to cool my temper. "Mom, they are _not_ thugs. They are men who serve and protect our country."

"Well, Joseph said…"

"I don't care what Morelli says. He's a pompous ass." Deep breath, Steph… blow it out nice and slow. "And no, I'm not leaving town for work. I'm going on a mini vacation."

My mother heard what she wanted to hear and guess what she said next… can you guess? I bet you got it right! "Oh, Stephanie, that's wonderful to hear. I'm sure you and Joseph will have a splendid time on vacation together."

Wait… what? "No, mother. Joe and I are not going on a vacation together. I'm going with a different friend. Joe and I are no longer together and we will not be getting back together, either."

"Who is this friend?" she asked me. "I want to know their name."

Excuse me? I looked down at the front of myself; yep, breasts are still there… I'm not a child, so I must be the woman I thought I was. "Mom, I'm an adult and I don't have to tell you everything that goes on in my life. If I want to go on vacation with someone and not tell you, then you'll just have to accept it."

Grandma had been unusually quiet…. Until that statement. "You're going with a hottie aren't ya? Does he have a nice package?"

Well, I hadn't seen it, but I'd felt it and if what I felt was any indication, then my answer is…. Dammit! Need to stop thinking about Junior's package. Oh but it felt so nice under me last night. No, no, no, musn't think like that.

"I don't know, Grandma," I told her as she winked at me. Mom didn't really say anything else to me after that, so I left to go home to pack.

Around five, there was a knock at my door. Being the trained professional that I am, I opened the door without looking and was greeted by the sight of Lester. Standing back, I allowed him to enter. "Hey, Les, what are you doing here?"

Kissing my head as he walked by, he grinned, "Just came to see how you were doing today. Didn't see you at the office, so thought I'd check in."

Okay, something is really up with him; I just haven't figured out what yet. "I'm fine. Why are you so… so giddy lately?" Hey, you'll never get an answer if you don't ask.

He ignored my question and answered with one of his own, "So, you're finally taking a little vacation?"

"Ye… wait, how'd you find out?" I knew I hadn't told him and I knew my mother would never speak to them on her own. Oh shit, I had a bad feeling about this, "He told you, didn't he?"

Lester nodded, "But, Steph. Listen, don't be mad at him. He _had_ to tell me." Oh this should be good. I didn't say anything, just waited for Les to continue… I wanted to know why he thought Junior just had to tell him. "If you left, without telling anyone, what do you think would happen?"

I looked at Les and contemplated the possibilities before I realized what he was saying. He was correct; as usual.

"Exactly, Beautiful. I'd be looking for you. Then I'd get pissed because you'd have ditched your trackers. I'd be turning this state upside down looking for you. Junior knew he had to tell me so I wouldn't worry and I could keep the others from looking for you."

I knew he was right; everyone would have been looking for me and pissed when they'd discovered I'd taken off without my trackers. "So, what are you going to tell the guys?"

Lester smiled his evil, yet sexy smile. "Well, I figured I'd wait until Monday afternoon and just tell the guys that you were taking some much needed down time. That way, hopefully they won't put you with Junior… which is what I heard you wanted."

I knew what he was getting at and felt it was time to come clean with him, "Les, I'm not afraid of people finding out about me leaving with Junior. I just don't want Ranger to find out."

"Why not?"

"Look, I'm not holding out hope for him. Junior and I have talked these past few months. I admit, I still love Ranger; hell I probably always will. But I also know it is an unrequited love. He loves me, but not how I need him to. And, that's okay. I have to let him go. I just don't want him beating the shit out of Junior when he finds out about this vacation."

Lester stood and pulled me up with him. Wrapping me in a hug, he told me, "Junior's a good man, Steph. Just remember that."

Huh? I know Junior's a good man. "I know he is, Les. All of you are."

Lester pulled back and looked at me for a second. "I'm going to head out. I'll see you when you get back from your trip." He headed for the door, but paused before opening it, "Take the time to get to know him on your trip. You'll be surprised by some of it, but other things… I think you'll find you like."

Les showed himself out while I stood there in shock. What the hell did he mean by that? Unfortunately, I didn't have time to think on it as my phone rang. Looking at the display, I laughed, "Were your ears ringing?"

Laughter came through the phone, "Why would they be ringing?"

"Les was here and we were talking about you."

"Yeah, I wanted to warn you, but I got called in to do some last minute paperwork. I hope you're not too upset with me for telling him."

Rolling my eyes, I smiled, "I was at first, but Les explained how things would have gone had I just left and I understand why you told him. Thank you for thinking of that."

"I try to look out for you, Sweetheart. Listen, I'm done here and my truck is packed up and I'm ready to go. Mind if I stop by and help you get ready?"

Hmm, mind if a handsome, strong man comes help me get ready? "Nope, not all!"

"Good, open your door," he laughed.

Walking to the door, I looked out and saw those wonderful baby blues staring back at me. I opened the door and closed the phone, "How long have you been here?"

Walking in, he dropped a kiss to my forehead and shrugged, "I pulled in as Les was leaving. Figured he'd told you so I wanted to call before I just came up here."

Wise man! "Figured I'd throw something at you?"

"Something like that." Junior looked around, "Where are your bags?"

"See, that's where the problem is. I don't know what to pack! What do you do on a yacht? What do you wear on a yacht? I need help!"

Grabbing my hand, Junior led me back to my bedroom and sat me on the bed. He began pulling this out of my closet and dresser. Once there was a huge pile on my bed, he began folding things and putting them in two piles. "What are the piles?"

With mischievous looking eyes, he pointed to the first pile, "This pile is stuff we _are_ taking." Pointing to the second pile, "That pile is for you to decided what goes or stays. Stuff I think you'll be comfortable in, but don't necessarily need."

I began looking through that pile and didn't see anything that jumped up and said _wear me_, so I decided it could all stay. Looking in the suitcase, I noticed there were a few dresses, some shorts, and tank tops, along with a pair of sweatpants and a hooded sweatshirt I didn't remember. Wonder where that came from. "Anything else?" Junior asked.

"Just my bathroom things, but I can grab those real fast," I replied as I hopped off the bed. When I left the bathroom, Junior was nowhere to be seen. I walked into the kitchen to grab a drink when the door opened, scaring the shit out of me.

"Jesus!" I screamed. "Were the hell did you go?"

Once his laughter was under control, Junior wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me to him, "I just went to put your suitcase in the truck. I didn't mean to scare you."

Leaning against him, I sighed, "I know. It's just easy to do. Anyway, I guess I'm ready to head to the boat if you are."

Junior looked horrified and I couldn't figure out why. "Steph, please, don't call it a boat. It's a yacht."

"Boat… yacht… same difference. They both go in water."

"But a yacht is so much more than boat."

I had to laugh. I was shocked he was so touchy about his boat; I mean yacht. "You know, my grandma always said the only difference between the men and the boys were the price of their toys."

Junior then did something that I'd never seen or heard him do before. He leaned down to my ear and whispered, "If I'm a boy, you can play with my toy, but when it comes in your hand, you'll know I'm a man."

I was speechless! Floored I tell ya! I'd never ever heard him talk like that. What the hell had gotten into him? Finally, I felt him lift my chin up to close my mouth and he smiled at me. Oh those wonderfully sexy dimples made their appearance again and I was gone. He'd win me over every time with those.

We made the drive mostly in silence. I was too busy looking at the scenery and Junior was too busy looking at me every few minutes. He probably thought I couldn't see him, but I could. With him looking at me, it made me thing back to what Les said. "Junior?"

"Yeah?"

"How long have you known Les?"

"Let's see. We met when we were eighteen and in the same boot camp, so about sixteen years now. Why?"

"Just curious."

"What did he tell you, Sweetheart?"

I turned to face Junior and shrugged, "Just to get to know you better on this trip."

Junior reached across the seat and took my hand, "I hope we do get to know each other better, Steph. I want to spend these two weeks talking and learning about each other. I know there are some things that have happened in my life that you aren't going to like, but I want you to know about them. I promise to answer any questions you have and not get upset at any reaction to my answers."

"You make it sound like there is some horrible stuff you want to tell me."

He squeezed my hand and sighed, "There is, but there is also some stuff that doesn't seem that bad to me, but it might to others." He brought my hand to his lips and kissed my wrist. "Let's just wait until we're out on the open waters before we begin the in depth conversations, okay?"

I could live with that. It would mean he wouldn't have anywhere to run to when I asked tough questions. Oh shit, wait! That also means I won't have anywhere to run to. Shit, I'm so screwed.

"I've told you, Steph. I won't let you run anymore," he smiled.

Shit… yep, I'm screwed! I slide across the truck seat to lean against Junior. When my head landed on his shoulder, I closed my eyes to enjoy the scent, but I must have enjoyed it a little too much. The next thing I knew, Junior was caressing my cheek, "Sweetheart, we're here. Time to unload the truck and put some things away."

I sat up and stretched, causing my shirt to ride up and expose my stomach. I heard a soft groan from next to me and blushed, "Sorry, I forgot it was shorter than normal."

"No reason to be sorry, I happen to like that look," he said as he winked at me and removed himself from the cab of the truck.

Once we had the kitchen stuff unloaded and put away, Junior grabbed my hand, "Come on, let me give you the tour and you can pick what bedroom you want."

The yacht was HUGE! I'd never seen anything like it. I could seriously live on it and have no problems not seeing family.

"This," Junior said as we stepped up to the top of the yacht, "is the Flybridge. I have a dining area up here for when the weather is nice and I don't want to eat inside. There is a fridge for drinks and a sink for dishes. And, if you look over there," he told me while h turned my body with his, "You'll see the Jacuzzi."

Holy shit, I'd died and gone to heaven!

"This is the Flybridge Helm, where I'll be most of the time, but you'll also be getting some lessons here," he said with a wicked smile. Hmm, wonder what type of lessons he's talking about!

Leading down the stairs, he told me, "This is the main deck. Lots of stuff here! We have the main cockpit, the dining area, bar, pilot house, and a few other things I'll teach you later. Through those doors," he said pointing at the end of the yacht, "is the forward lounge. You can lay out there and sunbathe or just relax anytime you want."

Walking down another set of stairs… I was shocked. I mean how many levels does this thing have? "Here is the lower deck. Our sleeping quarters if you will." We walked into the first set of rooms. "If I had a crew on board, this would be their sleeping areas. There is also a washer and dryer here so we can do our laundry."

We walked past the engine room, he said I didn't need to worry about anything there, and I agree. I'd probably mess something up if I touched anything!

"This is the master cabin, where I sleep. I have a private access with a separate staircase from everyone else." He walked over to another door and opened it, "This is my bathroom. Nothing fancy." Walking across the floor, he pulled open another door, "This one, if you want, could be your bathroom."

I looked in and moaned. I tried to stop it, I really did, but seeing a Jacuzzi down there in the bathroom, I couldn't help it.

Junior laughed and pulled me back to him. "There is a little more to show you." We walked up the stairs and down the next set. "This is the guest cabins and bathrooms. No one has ever stayed in them."

"How many have you had on your yacht before?" I asked.

"Let's see. Lester's been here; we went out on the sea for a month last year to get away from everything. Tank and Ranger have been on it for a few hour trip, but never stayed overnight. I think that's it."

I was shocked. I thought for sure, he'd have had many women on it. I mean, come on! What's not to love about it!

Opening the last door, he told me, "This is the final room. The VIP cabin. Has it's own bathroom as well and a huge panoramic window by the porthole." I walked over and looked out the window. It was amazing!

When I walked back to Junior, he took a deep breath, "Where should I put your bags so you can get unpacked?"

I tried to remember what was in each room. I knew they all had the bathrooms, TVs, and very comfy looking beds. I thought back to the order of the rooms we walked through and came up with my response. "The guest cabin is next to yours, right?" He nodded. I thought I saw a flash of disappointment across his face, but it was gone before I could be sure.

"I'll go get them and bring them down. While you're putting your stuff away, I'll get started on a snack for us." Junior led me back to the guest cabins and headed up to get my suitcase as I looked around the cabin.

_Thank you all very much for the reviews, favorites, and alerts! You've made me very happy! I'm trying to post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but if I miss a day, don't hate me! Let me know what you thought of this chapter!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you all for the reviews, alerts, adds, and messages. I appreciate it more than I can say. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! Oh, I saw that FF is allowing pictures per book, so the one listed for CSA is my version of Junior! Enjoy and let me know what you think!_

* * *

After I finished putting my things away, I decided to try and navigate my around and find Junior. I finally made it up to what he referred to as the Flydeck when I heard soft music streaming through the speakers. Looking around, I saw Junior standing in the kitchen area, slaving over the counter. He looked so damn sexy standing there without a shirt on, the lights reflecting off his skin giving him an almost glow.

I slowly approached him and smiled when he looked up. "Need any help?" I asked him.

"Sure." He pointed to the cabinets, "The plates and glasses are in the cabinet above the stove if you want to grab them. I'll serve dinner and you can grab something to drink from the fridge."

I reached up in the cabinet and handed the plates down to him. Setting the glasses on the side counter, I opened the fridge and spotted a bottle of pop. I began to giggle which caused Junior to look at me.

"What's so funny?" he questioned. I pulled the bottle out and showed it to him. "Not as good as my homemade, but it'll work," he informed me.

Eh, what the hell, it did taste good when he made it. I opened the Vanilla Coke and split it between the two glasses. After placing them on the table, I went to turn back to help and ran into Junior. "Sorry," I mumbled as I tried very, very hard to drag my eyes away from his chest.

"No problem, Sweetheart," he replied as he reached around me and sat the two plates down. After pulling a chair out for me, Junior sat down to my left and waited.

Looking at the plate, I saw chicken kabobs, corn on the cob, and potato salad. "I thought you were fixing a snack, not an entire meal."

"Well," he started, "I realized that I'd not eaten dinner and I figured you hadn't either."

I thought about it and he was right. "Yeah, I guess the last time I ate was lunch at my mom's. Thank you," I smiled at him.

After we were finished eating, we placed the dishes in the dishwasher and cleaned up the counter. Suddenly, Junior grabbed my hand and pulled be toward the forward lounge. After helping me down, he laid on his back next to me and stared up at the sky. Looking up, I was amazed.

"Wow, it's beautiful," I whispered.

"Yeah, you don't get to see this in the city. I love being out here looking at the stars." Junior looked at me, "Just wait until tomorrow night when we're out in the open and no lights around us, you'll be even more amazed. If you'd like, I can even point out some constellations."

"I'd like that. I've always loved space and the stars, but have never really been where I can see it without all the lights. I can't wait," I replied as I looked back to the sky.

Junior and I laid out there for a few hours, just watching the stars and talking. Finally, he rolled to his side and smiled, "Sweetheart, we should probably head down below and get some sleep. I plan on taking this out to the open water early in the morning. I'll let you sleep in tomorrow, but expect me to wake you up the next morning pretty damn early."

"Ummm, how early?" I asked.

"Before the sun rises."

What the fuck? This is a vacation! "Are you insane? Why the hell would I get up early on a vacation? I am so not going running while on a vacation!"

"No running, I promise. But, I think you'd really love to watch the sunrise. If you think the stars are amazing, just wait until you see a sunrise or sunset from right here." He leaned over and kissed my forehead before standing up and reaching for my hands. "Come on, I'll walk you down."

We walked past the controls and Junior shut off the music before descending the stairs in front of me. Reaching my room, he opened the door, kissed my hand, and tucked my hair behind my ear, "Goodnight, Sweetheart. If you need anything, just pick up the phone next to the bed and dial eleven. That will ring my room."

"Thanks, Junior. I had a very enjoyable evening. See you in the morning." I watched as he headed to the stairs and off to his room. What? I was making sure he didn't miss a step… I was NOT looking at his fine ass. Okay, well, maybe I did a quick glance. I think I'm going to really enjoy this vacation. Time away from prying eyes, time away from crazies, time to get to know him and have a blast.

When I woke up the next morning, I looked at the clock. Hmm, the clock has to be wrong... I'm never up before eight! Crawling out of bed, I made my way to the bathroom. After showering and dressing in a lightweight sundress, I headed upstairs. As I reached topside, I noticed we were actually out on the water. The breeze felt amazing as I took a moment to just stand still and stare. I knew the instant Junior was behind me; like I said earlier, only one person on this earth smells like him.

"Morning, Steph," he said as he wrapped his arms around me in a hug.

Leaning back against him, I murmured, "Morning. This is amazing. How long have we been moving?"

"We pulled out of dock around five-thirty this morning." Junior dropped a kiss to my head and squeezed, "Hey, I meant to ask you last night. Do you get seasick?"

I had to think about that one. "I don't think so. I don't really know, why?"

"Well, if you start to feel sick, let me know. I have a few things for it. One is a patch that would go right here," he said as he touched the spot behind my ear with his finger, "and the other is a pill."

"What's the difference between them?" I asked.

Junior let me go and I immediately felt a loss. What the hell? God, I need to get laid and soon. I just hope I don't end up jumping him on this trip!

"The patch that goes behind your ear won't make you drowsy, but the pill might. Personally, I prefer to use the patch when I need it, but I keep both on hand."

"You need the patch at times?" I couldn't believe he ever got seasick.

"Not usually, but there are times when there's a storm coming that it gets a little too choppy for me and I feel it." Junior walked past me and headed to the galley, "Breakfast will be ready in a few."

"What can I do to help?" I questioned as I followed him.

"Well, you can get some orange or apple juice and some coffee."

I grabbed two mugs and two juice glasses from the cabinet. After adding coffee to the mugs, I proceeded to add cream and sugar to mine. "Make mine the same?" Junior asked. I stood there stunned again! Who is this Junior and how do I get him to stick around after the vacation?

"I'm the same Junior as always, Sweetheart. Just when on vacation, I don't feel the need to watch everything I eat." I will second that! Looking at the food in the fridge, I'd be scared if I saw this in the office. I looked in the skillet to see what he was fixing and wrinkled my nose.

"Hey, don't worry. I promise, it is not healthy."

"Then what is it?"

"Southern omelets. Eggs wrapped around sausage, hashbrowns, and cheese, topped with sausage gravy." Ohmigod, I think I just died. If this is how Junior cooks on vacation, he can cook for me anytime! That sounded so good; I couldn't wait to try it. Breakfast was ready a few minutes later and let me just say this. I am going to love being here with Junior if he keeps this up. The omelet was fantastic.

"So, what's the topic of discussion for today?" Junior asked as we rinsed off the dishes. "I told you before we began that I'd answer any questions honestly, I just expect the same in return," he told me with a wink.

"Okay, I'll start easy." Placing the last dish in the rack, I turned around and asked, "Full name?"

"Ah, that is an easy one, Mitchell Glen Kazanski, Jr." Showing his amazing dimples again, he shrugged, "You don't have to say, I already know your answer."

"See, my life is an open book," I reminded him. "So, do I get another question or do you get to ask me a different one?"

"You get another one. This is you ask, I answer, and then you answer the same question. So, be careful what you ask."

I thought about that for a quick second. Shit, guess that means no questions about sexual pasts. "Birthday?"

Taking my hand and leading me up to the wheel thingy so he could steer the yacht, he replied, "My birthday is October 22nd. I already know yours is October 12th." After helping me to sit in a comfy spot, he reached for the wheel, "Next question?"

Before I could get my next question out, I heard a voice that shouldn't have been there, "Love Machine calling True Love. Come in True Love. Over."

Junior saw the look on my face and laughed. Holding up a finger, he picked up a radio thing and smiled at me, "True Love here. Go ahead Love Machine."

"Dude, how's it going? Are you having fun yet?"

"Yeah, we're good. Been on the water for a few hours now. What's up?"

I stood up and walked over to Junior. I wanted to see how to work the object in his hand. "Just wanted to see how you and Beautiful were doing. I miss you guys already. I don't know how the hell I'm gonna make it two weeks."

I took the radio from Junior's hand and hit the button. "Lester, why are you interrupting our vacation?"

Les' laugh came through and he finally answered, "I miss you and just wanted to say hi. I've not told the guys anything yet, so they don't know you're gone."

"Good," I replied. "Now, don't worry about us. We'll be fine. We're just getting to know each other a little better."

"Well, hell. I'll let ya go," he said with a laugh. "See you two in a few weeks. You know how reach me, Junior."

Junior took the handheld back from me and replied, "Ten-four, Love Machine. True Love, out."

I looked at Junior and waited. He wasn't really going to make me ask, was he? He should know how curious I am and that I really wanted to know. Me, being as stubborn as I am, really didn't want to say the words.

Finally, he took pity on me. "My yacht is named True Love. Didn't you see it on the side when you came aboard?" I shook my head and waited. He knew I wanted more. Sighing, he finally said, "Les wanted a handle that he could use when he called me on the yacht. I told him to come up with one and he picked Love Machine. Thought it would sound cool when we called each other if others were on the same channel as us."

I couldn't help it, I busted out laughing. I could so see Lester picking out that name all on his own. With what I've heard about his _conquests_, it certainly fit him! "I get the Love Machine for Les, but why True Love for you?"

"Because for the longest time, I always felt that true love was a myth or something unattainable. So, when I bought my yacht, I named it true love so that I could that it wasn't a myth." He looked at me and shrugged, "I know, it sounds stupid."

Standing up, I placed my hand on his arm, "I don't think it's stupid. I think it's sweet." Kissing his cheek, I stood next to him as he navigated the yacht. "I actually know the feeling about doubting any type of love."

Junior looked at me, "What do you mean?"

"Well," I began as I walked to the edge and looked down at the water, "All the guys I dated in high school and college all cheated on me. I finally get married, and ten seconds later he's cheating on me. Joe cheated on me our entire relationship. So, yeah, I don't believe in love anymore."

"Ranger never cheated on you," he said.

After I was done laughing, hey it was either that or cry, I reminded him that Ranger and I never dated. We had a strange relationship, but we were not together. I felt his arms come around me and immediately felt at ease. I don't know what it is about Junior, but every time he wraps me up in his arms, I feel… how can I say this without you laughing at me? I feel home; but that doesn't make sense right? I mean, Junior's just a friend and home is somewhere you live. Oh God, I'm going insane finally, aren't I?

Trying to change the subject away from Ranger, I asked, "Tell me about your friendship with Les."

I was beginning to think that he hadn't heard me or he didn't want to answer when he scared the crap out of me by suddenly speaking, "Hey, I have an idea."

"What's that? Throw me overboard?"

"No. Let's take the jet ski's out." I turned around and looked at him like he was nuts… hmmm, maybe add a little whip cream, some cherries, chocolate sauce. Oh yeah, that would work. "Steph? Um, why are you looking at me like I'm your next meal?"

Blushing, I turned my head and closed my eyes. "I've never been on a jet ski before."

"Never?" I shook my head. "Well then, I'll let you ride on the back of mine and take you out for a little bit. Then, we'll switched and you can drive while I make sure you know what you're doing. Then later, if you want, we can each take one out and race."

Hmm, sitting on the back of a jet ski, with my arms wrapped around a wet Junior? Oh fuck, I'm gonna die! "Okay, sounds good."

We headed down to our rooms and changed into our swim clothes. Walking back up the stairs, I saw Junior standing there with a bottle of sunscreen. "I don't want you to burn," he said as he began walking towards me.

Pulling my hair to the side, I allowed Junior to rub the sunscreen on my back, shoulders, and arms. I was going to get the front, but he wouldn't give up the bottle. Oh man, to feel his hands on me, rubbing circles all over the exposed skin; and let me tell you, there was a lot of exposed skin… the bikini was barely covering anything.

After I was covered from head to toe, Junior led us down to the jet skis. He lowered one into the water and climbed aboard. Reaching out a hand, he helped me get situated behind him. "Hold on tight, Sweetheart," he said as he took off.

It was so awesome out on the water. Junior would go fast and jump the waves; being airborne scared me at first, but then I began to love it and would scream for more every time we slowed down. Finally, after we'd been out for about an hour, Junior took us back to the boat. After getting some liquid in us, he smiled, "Now it's your turn to drive and I get to sit back and relax."

"Are you sure about this?" I questioned.

"If you don't want to, I won't force you, but I really think you'll like it."

"What about crashing? Aren't you afraid I'll crash your jet ski?"

"Look around, Sweetheart," Junior said as he swept his arms wide, "There is nothing for you to run into. If we fall off, you'll have the wrist band on you and that will kill the engine. We get back on and go again." He came up and placed his hands on my shoulders, "Let's do this. You'll enjoy it."

I knew I would and, truth be told, I was really looking forward to driving the jet ski and having his arms around me. Looking up into his baby blues, I smiled and nodded, "Let's go."

Starting out, I wasn't sure how fast I should go, but hearing Junior whispering in my ear, "You can do it, Steph. Feel the power, let it go. Open up and see what you can do. It is an amazing feeling, being out here like this. Don't be afraid."

I finally sped up and was soon jumping waves like Junior had. He was right, I loved being in control of the jet ski. I was going to have to save up a ton of money to get me one of these! Heading back to the boat, I smiled and asked Junior, "Ready to take me on?"

Junior hopped off the jet ski and lowered the second one into the water. "Ready when you are," he grinned. Oh God, those dimples!

We raced each other for a while, I swear sometimes he was letting me get ahead, but we still had a blast. After we'd raced for a while, we slowed down and just enjoyed riding next to each other. After two hours of being on the water, we decided it was time to head back and get some food.

It was during our lunch break that Junior shocked me. I blame it on the smells of the food, the looks of my lunch companion; I mean, hello… half naked man with an awesome chest sitting right in front of me, do you think YOU'D be able to concentrate?

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" I asked.

"I said that I think it's time I answer your question from this morning."

"What question was that?" I didn't remember any unanswered questions.

Taking a deep breath, Junior slowly let it out and replied, "You asked about my friendship with Les." I nodded. "I'm ready to tell you, but please, hear me fully before you say anything."


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you for the reveiws, alerts, and adds! I appreciate every one of them! Now, while some of you guessed what the talk was going to be about, it isn't as bad as some of you feared. Let me know what you think!_

* * *

Junior led us over to the tan sectional. He sat down and pulled me down between his legs so my back was against his chest. We were still in our swimsuits and the breeze blowing across me, while feeling great, made me shiver. Junior wrapped his arms around me, I could feel the tension in his body. "Jun…" I tried to tell him it was okay and he didn't have to tell me anything he wasn't ready for, but he placed a finger up to my lips.

"I want to tell you, I really do. I want you to know the real me, not just who you see every day. I guess I'm also afraid that when you do find out about the real me, that you'll look at me differently."

I shook my head that that would never happen. I don't ever see the guys telling me something about their past or present that would ever make me change the way I felt about them. Since I still couldn't speak, I just leaned my head back against his shoulder and relaxed, hoping he'd relax a little too.

"I already told you that Les and I met when we were in boot camp sixteen years ago. He was some punk kid from Miami, sent there to get his life in order. I was from Ohio and signed up to serve my country. We were totally opposite each other in every way. Hell, I'd only had sex with one girl and he'd conquered the entire cheer squad."

I giggled; I could so see Lester Santos trying to sleep his way through school. I was surprised however, that Junior had only slept with one person before he joined the Marines. I wanted to ask who she was, but knew it was best to keep quiet.

"During boot camp, Les and I became great friends. Eventually, we were paired for drills. We bunked together, ate together, ran together; hell all of it. Once boot camp was done, and we received our first assignments, we knew our friendship was pretty much done. There was no way we'd be shipped out together." Junior laughed, "Hell, imagine our surprise when orders came down and we were both on the next plane to some third world country."

"I can't tell you what happened; hell, I don't even like to think about it. But, I will tell you that if hadn't been for Les, I'd not be here today. I owe him my life. He's saved me more than once and in so many ways. He was my rock a lot of times during missions."

Junior laid his head back against the cushion for a few minutes, most likely thinking of what he wanted to say. I took the opportunity to lace my fingers with his as they were wrapped around me and squeezed. That must have been the encouragement he needed as he soon began talking again.

"Our first mission out of boot camp, it was Les, me, and four other guys. The mission was fucked up right from the start. We were captured about two weeks after we were dropped off. For the next six months, the six of us spent our days and nights in a six by six dirt-floor cell. We were tortured almost daily. Finally, one day after our torturing session, we were thrown back in our cell and two of the guys with us, they'd been beaten so badly that their wounds had become infected. Without proper treatment, they ended up dying from their injuries."

I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, but I tried to hold them off. I didn't want Junior to stop talking; it seemed like he needed to get this out. I knew he wouldn't tell me anything that could get him in trouble, so I was willing to just listen.

"It took the four of a few days, but we were finally able to dig a shallow grave using only our hands. We buried our brothers just before the guards came to pull us out for another torture time. That day, only three of us made it back to the cell. Tigger, we called him that because he was always bouncing on his heels, he died during the torture."

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. I didn't know what to say; to see three of your friends die in front of you and know there's nothing you can do to help. God, I'm surprised the merry men are able to function the way they do.

"That night, the third guy, he tried to escape, said he couldn't live like that anymore. I didn't blame him; hell, I'd thought of trying to escape myself, but I knew what was going to happen. He did to… he said he'd rather die than live there one more day. He got his wish a minute after he tried to break down the only window in the cell."

"After that, it was just Les and me. We kept each other talking, trying to think of our lives back in the states. At this point, I guess it had been close to a year we'd been captured. It was obvious no one was coming to look for us. We knew we were going to die there, but we weren't ready to yet. We'd talk about our dreams and hopes. We must have drifted off, because the next thing I knew, our cell door was being opened, but when I looked, no one was there."

"I woke Les up and pointed to the door that was wide open. He asked if I saw who had opened it and I told him no. We weren't sure what we were supposed to do. Was it a test? Did they want us to try and leave so they could shoot us? Had they finally come to their senses and realized we weren't going to give them the information they wanted, so they were letting us go? We didn't know."

Junior sat there, his arms still wrapped around me, but now he was drawing circles on my stomach. He was quiet for a few minutes, probably remembering back to that day. I wished I could take his pain away and make him forget all that he'd been through, but then I realized…what he'd been through is what made him the man he was. So, as much as I hated seeing him in pain, I don't think I'd have changed anything.

Junior's voice dropped to an almost whisper and I knew he was struggling with what he wanted to say. I wish he knew that I'd never look at him differently. I wanted to tell him, but he asked me not to interrupt him; I was afraid if I did, he'd stop talking and I didn't want that. So, once again, I kept quiet and just squeezed his arms in an attempt to show him support.

"We stood up and walked out the door. Backs to each other so we could watch both directions. Walking out of the compound, we never saw another soul. Once we were outside the compound, we walked as fast as we could and found a cave near a creek. Being dehydrated, we both kneeled down and began sipping the water. Man, it was so cold and tasted like shit, but it was liquid that we desperately needed. We even waded out a little to get cleaned up some. Get the dirt and grime off; hell we'd not had a shower or bath in a year, so it took a lot of scrubbing to get some of the shit off. Finally, Les pointed to the cave and we headed in. It looked abandoned, so we felt safe staying there."

"We only had the clothes on our bodies, and those were torn and tattered. Not much of cloth left. It was cold that night in the cave and the only thing we could think of was to lay together to create body heat. Les has always been taller than I have, so my back was to his chest. We had no pillows or blankets, so we had to make the best of it."

Oh yeah, I could definitely see the possibility of using body heat to warm him up. Actually, thinking about it was making me warmer right now. Shit, stop it, I told myself. I didn't want to upset Junior so I tamped down my hormones for a little longer.

"We must have fallen asleep sometime during the night, because the next thing I knew, it was morning and I was on my back with Les' arm thrown across my chest. I looked up to see if he was still sleeping, but he had a smirk on his face. When I asked him what that was for, he just said we're free… and he leaned down and kissed me."

"Of course, that just pissed me off and the next thing I knew, I had Les on his back, and I was straddling his waist. My fist was about to connect with his face when he reached up and cupped my cheek. I froze. I didn't know why he was doing it and why I wasn't hitting him, but in that moment, something changed."

I had a feeling where this was going; how could I have been so wrong about Junior? All the signs he'd given off made it seem like he wanted to get to know me and possibly have a relationship. I mean, wasn't that what this trip was about? He said he wanted to get to know me and for me to get to know him. Les said that I'd learn things… shit, oh shit. What if they just want to tell me so I won't get hurt if I found out from someone else? But still, why the two week vacation? Is it so I have time to come to terms with their relationship and have nowhere to run to?

"Steph, please, don't hate us, don't run from me. You haven't heard it all yet. I need to tell it all to you, please? I'm begging you," Junior whispered my ear.

I let my head drop back again and tried to relax my body, but I'm sure he could feel it was still tense.

"Les and I stayed in the cave for a few days, trying to get our strength back so we could walk and find help. We ate the berries that were out by the creek. It wasn't much, but it was better tasting than the bugs crawling around. A few days later, we headed out and tried to find some civilization that could get us help."

"We'd been gone for a year, and had no idea if anyone knew we were still alive or not. Not finding anyone for a few weeks left us alone and cold. We'd find shelter anywhere we could and sleep for the night, curled up together for heat. One night I guess we were both feeling better and one thing led to another and we…"

Junior threw his head back against the cushion again and I knew what he was struggling to say. "Junior, how long have you and Les been in a relationship?"

"Les and I were together for eleven years. While we did see other people, we'd somehow end up back together a few times a year; especially when we're angry or scared." Junior stopped talking and began running his hands up and down my arms. After about the fifteenth pass, he finally said, "I need to know what you're thinking. If you're upset and don't want to be here with me, I'll turn around and take you back home. If you have any questions, I'll answer them honestly."

I stood up and turned around. I saw the look of disappointment in Junior's eyes; he thought I was going to ask to go home. Well, he was wrong. I sat back down on his lap, my legs on each side of his body. Cupping his cheeks, I looked in his eyes and smiled.

"I am not horrified. I am not pissed. I am not disgusted. Honestly, I am honored."

"Honored? That's a new one," he said.

"Yes, honored. Honored that you trust me enough to tell me this. Honored that you believe in me to know I wouldn't judge you or Lester. You are both my friends and that will never change."

Junior leaned up and kissed me gently on the lips. Damn, my first kiss with him is when I find out he's gay and has a partner. Too bad it couldn't be when I found out he wanted me; but I can still keep my fantasies.

"Sweetheart, I hadn't totally finished my story yet, but I do want you and not just as a friend."

I sat there staring at him, not understanding what I just heard. He wants me, but yet he's with Les. Oh god, do they want a threesome relationship? I don't think I could do that. I mean, yeah it might be neat to try it once or twice, but I don't think it could be a lasting thing.

"No threesome; unless you want it," he smiled.

"Stop reading my thoughts," I blushed.

"Not reading them; you're saying them out loud again."

"Fuck." I placed my forehead on Junior's chest and took a deep breath, "So, what is it that you want?"

Running his hands up and down my back this time, he told me what he wanted. "No one knows about Les and me. We managed to keep it from everyone for fourteen years; we'd like to keep it that way. I knew I needed to tell you if I wanted something with you. So, I told Les that I was going to tell you. At first, he was hesitant, but when he thought about it, he knew it was the right decision and that you could handle hearing it."

"Les will always hold a special place in my heart. He's the _only_ male I've ever been with; he says the same about me. We've only been together once in the past three years."

"Why? Why aren't you together anymore?" I questioned.

"Because we both realized that what we want is to find that love with a female. Les and I, how do I say this? We… after we were rescued, we didn't know how to act around other people for a long time. We stuck to each other, but as time went on, we realized we wanted a _normal_ life. Yes, we were still with each other when we returned, but we began dating other people. While he was dating someone, we made sure we didn't do anything."

"You said you've only been together once in the last three years?" Junior nodded. "Why was that?"

"Because we were both so pissed and we didn't know how to deal with the anger."

"What were you pissed about?"

Junior took my hands in his and looked in my eyes, "We were together the night you were found in the cupboard. We were so pissed at what had been done to you that neither of us knew what to do. But, we've always been great at angry sex."

Shaking my head, I told him, "I don't want to come between you two."

"There is no relationship between us anymore. It ended and except for that one slip up, there has been no desire on either of our parts. I want a relationship with you, Steph. I want to see what can happen between us; if that's something you'd be interested in after what I've told you."

I looked up into his eyes and smiled, "I'd love to see what we have and where it could go. I just don't want things to be awkward between you and Les or me and Les. What happens the next time something happens and you get scared?"

Junior threw his head back with his eyes closed, "Sweetheart, I've been scared a lot in the past few years." I swear he looked like he was blushing and he was so damn cute! "I promise you, I will not run to him when my fears get the best of me."

"No, I don't want that promise. If Les is who calms and centers you when you're worried or scared and I'm not around, then I want you to have someone to go to." Of course, I still had the picture of the three of us floating through my head. I wonder if once, just once… nah.

"I still go to Les from time to time when I'm upset or worried, but now it is more for talking. He knows how my mind works, he's able to get me to focus on things other than what's upsetting me and in time I let it go." Tipping my chin up to look at him again, Junior smiled, "And if you ever want to experience a threesome, all you have to do is say yes and I'll make it happen once."

Fuck, I have got to stop that! Blushing, I jumped off his lap, "Enough of this serious shit for now. Can we take the jet skis out again?" Yep, I'm the Queen of Denial!

Junior stood up and pulled me to him, "Yes, we can take them out again, but promise me, we'll continue this talk tonight."

I nodded and kissed his cheek, "I promise." I headed for the bathroom, I just needed a minute to get my mind wrapped around everything. Les and Junior had a ten year relationship and no one knew. Junior wants to try a relationship with me… why me? There are so many other beautiful women out there that he could have but he picks me. What the hell am I scared of? Oh yeah… that he'll find out I'm not good enough for him and he'll cheat like the rest. _Junior wouldn't do that,_ said Smart Stephanie. Yeah, I'm going to listen to her for now.

Walking back to where the jet skis were, I saw Junior standing, staring out at the water. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, "Thank you for telling me."


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and messages. I appreciate all the alerts and adds as well. I"m sorry I've not replied to reviews, I've been so busy writting the chapters, that I never even thought about it. I promise I"ll be better at thank you and replying! I'm glad that most of you liked the last chapter and how it was written; for the few who thought it was "disgusting" I'm sorry. I hope you'll continue to read, but if not, I understand... just know, this will be a Steph/Junior ending. Now, onto the next chapter and finding out more about Junior! Enjoy and review, please!_

It had been two days since Junior told me about him and Les. It wasn't that we were avoiding the topic; it just never came up again. I had spent the night thinking about it; did it bother me that he'd been with a man? No, that was something that happened before this trip. I can't fault someone f or something that happened before I even knew him. Hell, had I been in the same situation, I can't say that I'd have done anything differently.

There was a knock on my cabin door that brought me from my thoughts. Not even bothering to see who it was; I mean come on, it's just Junior and me on the yacht; I hollered, "Come on in, Junor."

Once the door opened and I saw Junior, my heart leaped into my throat. I'm use to seeing him in all black from work, I've seen him in casual shorts and shirts on his days off, and hell, I've even seen him all wet in his trunks. But holy hell, I was not ready for the sight of him in black dress slacks, white button-up shirt with a purple tie, and a black sports jacket. I think I drooled!

"Wow," I whispered as he walked closer to me with his hands behind his back. The look in his eyes as he stalked closer, (and yes, I do mean stalked) was mesmerizing. He was looking at me like I was his prey and he was intent on catching it.

Pulling his hand from behind his back, he held a red rose in between us. "This is for you," he said as he placed it in my hair, behind my ear. "I'd like it very much if you'd join me up on the flydeck for dinner this evening."

I was about to say some smart ass comment like _I've joined you up there for the past few meals,_ but I kept that comment to myself. For some reason, it seemed like this meant a lot to him, so I smiled and said, "I'd love to. What time?"

"Eight o'clock?" he questioned and I nodded. With a smile, he turned and walked out my door, pulling it closed behind him.

I smelled the rose and sure enough, it was real. I had no idea how he'd gotten a rose on board. I mean we've been gone from Trenton for a few days; there's no way a rose would have lasted this long without being in water, and seeing as how it wasn't cut to be in water, I wondered where it came from. I highly doubted he had a rose bush on the yacht; then again, who knows!

I looked at my watch; five-fifteen. That gave me just under three hours to get ready. I stripped out of my clothes and ran the water in the Jacuzzi while I picked out my dress for the night. Trying to remember what color his tie was, I decided on the purple sundress I'd packed at the last minute. Then I remembered that I'd packed the purple lingerie he'd found in my dresser . Oh, this was going to be a fun night! When the water was ready, I pulled my hair up before lowering myself into the suds.

I washed, shaved, exfoliated, and moisturized after I was done relaxing. When I was out of the water, I glanced at the clock. Six forty-five; just over an hour to do my make-up, hair, and clothes. I could make that!

Deciding to keep my make-up light, I just swiped on a few coats of mascara and some light lip-gloss. My hair actually cooperated quite nicely and I was amazed at how I looked even before I put my dress on. Sliding my dress up my body, I felt like I was changing into Cinderella and Junior was the Prince. Being in such close quarters with him, hearing him open up and tell me about his past, has made me realize that he was what I'd been looking for all my life. Someone who wasn't perfect, someone who didn't want to change me, someone who wasn't afraid to talk about their feelings; hell, someone who wasn't afraid to talk at all.

Realizing all that, I heard smart Stephanie say, "See, told you this trip was going to be good for you," while stupid Stephanie started with, "Oh, but what will everyone say?" I laughed when I imagined smart Stephanie kicking stupid Stephanie off my shoulder and jumping up and down in victory shouting, "Take that bitch."

At seven fifty-five, I made my way up the side stairs and stood in shock as I looked around the flydeck; or what I thought was supposed to be the flydeck. There were candles all over the surface of the yacht, romantic music played through the speakers, and the aroma coming from the kitchen area had me checking for drool once again.

I smelled him before I felt his arms come around me. His breath on my bare neck as he leaned down and whispered, "Thank you for joining me for dinner." His arms enveloped me in a hug as he pulled me back against his hard chest.

"Thank you for inviting me," I whispered as my eyes closed. I couldn't help it; anytime I was in his arms, I just wanted to soak up his strength; but this time, I also wanted to savor the feeling and the smell that was all him.

Junior placed a hand on my shoulder and spun me around to face him. The look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know; he was nervous, he was opening his heart and afraid that I'd stop him. Leaning up on my toes, I kissed his cheek, "This looks amazing," I told him.

"So do you," came his reply as his hands ran down my arms and landed on my waist. "Dance with me?"

I nodded and he led us to the middle of the floor. There wasn't much space to dance, but that was okay, we didn't need much seeing as we were wrapped around each other. My head rested on his chest as his arms circled around my waist. Swaying to the music, there were no words spoken between us. I wasn't sure what was happening, but there was something there. Things were changing and as far as I could tell, they were changing for the better.

When the song ended, Junior took my hand and led me to the table that was set with dishes I'd not seen on board and two tall candles. He pulled my chair out and helped me sit before he went to grab the food. After he served the salad, steak, baked potatoes, and freshly steamed broccoli, he sat down and reached for his wine glass.

"Stephanie, Sweetheart, I wanted to have a special dinner to thank you for joining me on this vacation. I've never had as much fun as I have with you. I want to enjoy many more vacations with you, if you'll allow me the honor."

What could I say to that? I couldn't say a damn thing, there was a lump in my throat so big that I had a hard time swallowing. Finally, by some miracle, the lump disappeared and I was able to grab my glass and speak. "Thank you for inviting me on the wonderful trip with you. I think it was just what I needed at the time. I've enjoyed learning about you and spending this uninterrupted time together. I hope we have many more like this."

Clinking our glasses together, I saw Junior break out the dimples. I wonder if he has any idea how gorgeous he looks when he smiles.

"I do now, Sweetheart," he said as he smiled bigger. For once, I wasn't ashamed of something slipping out of my mouth. "So, we've spent a few days avoiding any in depth conversation, what would you like to discuss tonight?"

"Family," I replied without even thinking about it. I wanted to know about his family, how many siblings he had, what his parents were like, all of it.

I assumed Junior was trying to figure out where to start with the discussion since he began cutting his steak and looked deep in thought. "My parents were married when my mother was eighteen and my father was twenty. My mother was pregnant with me when they married; I guess you could say they had an old-fashioned shotgun wedding. My mother's parents told my father he would marry her and do right by her."

I took a bite of steak as Junior took a break in his story. Ohmigod! I swear the steak melted in my mouth; it was that good. As I moaned my appreciation, my eyes rolled to the back of my head. "Hey, I don't know if I like the idea of food making you look and moan like that," he said.

"What would you prefer make me moan like that?" I asked even though I knew the answer.

"Me being buried deep inside you," he told me in a very matter of the fact way.

I honestly can't say what brought on the next comment by me; maybe it was sun, maybe the lack of sex, maybe the fact that a very gorgeous man was sitting in front of me looking so damn hot! I don't know, but when I replied, "One of these days very soon, I hope," I don't think I'd ever seen Junior speechless. Score one for me!

Not willing to take it any further at the moment, Junior quickly changed the subject, "My father and mother didn't really love each other; I guess it was more a lust one night than anything else. But, they married and I came along five months later. Somehow, despite the lack of love, they made it work for eight years."

"When I was almost nine, my father was arrested for drug trafficking. He's been in and out of prison ever since. Every time he gets out, he's good for about two months, but he somehow always ends up helping make and sell again. I think the last time he was released was two years ago."

I couldn't imagine having a father like that. "I'm sorry he can't stay out of it," I told Junior.

"Yeah, me too. The guys all got to meet him two years ago. We were the ones to pick him up when he skipped court."

"Wow, how'd that happen?" I wondered.

"He was in Trenton when he was picked up for solicitation of drugs to a minor. Vinnie bailed him out and he skipped. I went to pick up the files one day and flipped through them; saw his file and about had a heart attack. We had no idea he was even out again. I called my mother and asked if she'd seen or heard from him; amazingly, he was there with her."

"She stayed with him through all the drugs and jail?"

"Yeah," Junior said with a sad laugh. "She always chose him over me. Even though they weren't brought together in love, they somehow fell into it. I found out later, that every time he was released, he ran to her."

Okay, now I was really curious. How could Junior not know that his dad was there, at his house, when he was growing up? The question must have been on my face, because I heard, "My mother's parents took me in when I was eight. They knew what he was doing and they didn't like me being around the drugs. I guess they begged my mother to leave him, but she wouldn't. Told them that they forced her to marry him and she was staying married."

"Wow. I don't think I'll ever understand how a parent can pick a dead beat over their child."

"Me either," Junior replied. "Any way, I took the file to Ranger and explained who and where he was. We picked him up later that night. The whole way to the police station, he kept trying to sell shit to the guys. Les finally looked at him and told him to shut the fuck up before he knocked his ass out. He didn't heed the warning, so Les cold cocked him. When he woke up, he was already through processing and in a cell."

Junior took a sip of his wine and shrugged, "I stuck around until he woke up and told him that I never wanted to see him again and that I hope he rotted in jail."

"Have you heard from him again?"

"No. He's still in jail, too. I check every few months to see if he's been paroled again, but not yet."

"What happened to your mother?"

Setting down his fork and knife, Junior clasped his hands together, took a deep breath, and slowly released it. Looking up at me, I swear I saw unshed tears in his eyes; this was painful for him and I was beginning to kick myself in the ass for asking when he finally said, "Seems my father wasn't the only one into the drugs. She died of a heroine overdose the night after we took my father back into the system."

I stood from my chair and walked to Junior's side of the table and sat on his lap. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I cradled his head against me and held him as he finally shed his tears. His mother may not have raised him all his life, but I could tell he loved her.

After five minutes, he pulled back from and wiped his eyes, "It was my fault, really," he stated.

"What?" I asked with an almost yell. "How do you figure it was your fault?"

"I took my father back to jail. Had he stayed with her, then she wouldn't have been so depressed and overdosed."

Oh hell no, I was not going to let him take the blame for something he had no control over. "You listen to me and you listen well," I told him as I turned his chin up to look at me. "You are not responsible for your mother killing herself. You did your job. You took a drug dealer, who was trying to sell to kids mind you, back to jail where he belonged. Your mother couldn't handle the fact that her husband was the drug dealer. She probably was getting the drugs from him and with him not around, she had no other way to get them; we'll never know. But in no way, is her death your fault. She chose that life; she could have asked for help… I know you would have helped her."

Junior nodded and hugged me to him. We sat like that for a long time before he looked up again, "Thank you," he whispered.

I kissed him on his forehead and smiled, "Anytime." I looked out to the water and quietly told him, "I'm sorry if I ruined the evening; that wasn't my intention."

Junior set me on my feet and stood up himself, "You didn't ruin anything, Sweetheart. You asked a question and I answered. That is what this trip is all about, remember?" I nodded. Another slow song came across the speakers and he asked, "Would you care to dance again?"

Placing my hand in his, we danced across the floor, each in our own world of thoughts, but never losing touch with each other. I remembered the rose he'd given me in my cabin and looked up at him, "How'd you get the rose? It hadn't been cut yet, like it was straight from the florist."

Finally, I heard the laugh that I'd not heard all night and it made me smile. "Promise you won't get mad?" Oh shit, what had he done? I nodded and waited. "Well, we aren't that far from Virginia Beach. I know a florist in the area; I called them and a steakhouse I know last night after you'd turned in. I made arrangements for them to be here with the food and flower while you were in the shower earlier."

"You made arrangements for food and a flower to be brought out by boat?" With a tinge of pink to his cheeks, he nodded and looked embarrassed. "That has got to be one of the sweetest and romantic things anyone has ever done for me." I stood up on my toes and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, "Thank you for putting so much thought into tonight; I don't think I'll ever forget this."

What started out to be a quick kiss quickly turned into something more. I moaned slightly when his hands grabbed my ass; he quickly thrust his tongue in my mouth and began a duel to the finish. My left hand was tangled in his hair as my right hand tried to slid under his shirt, but it was a useless attempt as his shirt was tucked in.

I felt the strap of my dress slide down my right arm and the next thing I knew, there were warm lips on my shoulder. Had Junior's left arm not been wrapped around me, I'd have slid to the floor in a pile of good. His tongue swept out across my shoulder and up my neck, pulling a longer and louder moan from my lips.

I don't know how it happened or when, but somehow we ended up laying across the lounger on the deck. The moonlight casted a glow on Junior as he lay stretched out above me. He was supporting his weight on his forearms, and while I appreciated that, all I wanted to do was to pull him down on top of me. I wanted to feel his weight crushing into me.

I reached up and trailed my fingers along his jaw and heard him suck in a deep breath as he closed his eyes. Finally, after a few seconds, he opened his eyes and stared into my soul, and whispered, "Steph, I'm falling for you; and I'm falling hard and fast," as he leaned down and captured my lips once again.


	7. Chapter 7

_I'm sorry this wasn't out yesterday; had a long day with the kids and grandkids and totally forgot about posting. I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter and i PROMISE to begin replying to reviews... I am really sorry I've not done so up till now. Please forgive me!_

* * *

I woke up with a smile; why a smile you might ask? Well, I'd love to tell you all about the wonderfully passionate, hot sex that Junior and I had last night, but I can't. See, it didn't happen; not that we didn't want it to happen mind you, but we both felt it was in our best interest to wait.

So, what did we do, you ask? Let me tell you! We spent a considerable amount of time on the lounger, making out. My Lord, that man can kiss like no other! I have the marks all over to prove it, too… and he may or may not be sporting a few marks as well.

After moving from the lounge, we decided to heat things up a little more and moved to the Jacuzzi. Somehow, after changing into our suits, I ended up sitting between his legs with my back to his chest. His arms wrapped around me and I felt content, happy, satisfied, and comfortable.

We sat in the Jacuzzi for an hour or so before we decided it was time to get out. Junior stood up and grabbed a towel. Wrapping it around my body, he pulled me close enough that he could lean down and place a kiss on my lips.

"As much as I'd love to take you downstairs and make love to you, I'm going to send you downstairs to your cabin alone," Junior told me. My face must have fallen because the second after he said that, I heard, "Sweetheart, don't for one minute think that I don't want to make love to you, because trust me, I DO! I just don't want to rush into this. You are just getting over a relationship, albeit a one sided relationship, but still. We are still learning about each other and I want that to continue. When we do make love for the first time," he whispered as he leaned down and gave me another kiss, "I want it to be very special for the both of us."

I couldn't help the smile that flashed across my face. "You know how you told me earlier that you were falling hard and fast for me?" I saw him nod once, "Well, the same could be said about me. Just being here, in your arms, brings a sense of security and love that I've never felt. I don't know how to explain it; it just is. I want to make love to you, too, but when the time is right."

I kissed Junior good night and headed down here to my cabin where I promptly fell asleep, after a little two-finger tango, dreaming of his hands and lips all over my body. See, that is why I woke up with a smile.

Deciding that I didn't want to stay in bed all day, I got up and took my shower. Forgoing all the clothes, I opted for my bikini and made my way upstairs. I wondered how Junior faired last night; actually, I secretly wondered if he had to take care of himself like I did.

Stepping out on the top deck, I was blasted with the heat of the sun and it was only seven-thirty. How the hell could it be so freaking hot already?

"It's summer," laughed Junior.

I jumped and clutched my heart, "Sweet Jesus, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Junior came to my side and smiled, "Would I get to give you mouth to mouth then?" Suddenly, my mouth was dry and I didn't think I could speak, so instead, I just nodded which caused Junior to laugh. "Come on, I have breakfast waiting."

I followed Junior to the table and felt my mouth drop open, there were blueberry pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee sitting there just waiting to be devoured. Turning to Junior, I asked, "Did you do all this?"

"I did," he replied as he tucked a loose curl behind my ear.

"Thank you," I replied before stretching up to kiss his wonderfully soft lips.

After the breakfast dishes were cleared away, Junior led me to the very top so I could sit with him while he navigated the waters. "Where to today, Sweetheart?" he asked.

Looking around, I only saw open water, so I shrugged, "I guess more open water."

"Nah, how about land today? Like I said last night, we aren't far from Virginia Beach and there are a few places I'd like to take you; if that's okay."

Junior looked like a lost puppy dog when he wanted to do something but wasn't sure I'd go along with it. I couldn't help the giggle that popped out, "Of course. I'd love to be on land for a little bit, maybe do some window shopping."

"Great! It'll take us about twenty-five minutes to reach shore. You can lie out and sunbathe if you want."

I looked down at the deck below and figured the sun sounded good. Kissing Junior's check, I headed down the stairs to the forward lounge and stretched out on my stomach on the very comfy cushion. About five minutes later, I felt the cushion to my right dip down. Looking up, I saw Junior with a smile on his face.

He reached over and began to untie my top, "Can't have you down her burning now, can I?" he said as he untied the second string. "Figured I'd better come down here and lather you up." I couldn't say anything because as soon as his hands touched my skin, I was lost. He rubbed lotion into my arms, my back, my thighs, and calves before tying my top and asking me to turn over. I flipped over onto my back and watched his face as he rubbed the lotion into my skin on the front.

When he was done, I swear he was panting just as hard and fast as I was. He leaned down and planted a kiss on my forehead, nose, and finally lips. Not wanting any distance between us, I reached up and pulled him to me. Feeling his weight crush into me felt like heaven. He tried to sit up some, but I refused to let him go.

"Steph, I don't want to crush you," he whispered as he nuzzled my neck.

"You're not crushing me. I want to feel your weight on me. I want to feel you pressing me into the cushion," I told him as I felt his left hand begin to explore my body.

"God, Steph. I don't know that I can keep fighting you off. My mind says to wait, but my body," he groaned as he pressed his hips into me, "says to make you mine."

"Which is winning?" I prompted him.

Before I had a chance to hear his answer, I heard that annoying little voice again, "Love Machine to True Love, come in True Love."

Junior placed his forehead on mine and sighed. I know right! A Merry Man sighing! What has the world come to? Kissing me one last time, he jumped up and raced up the stairs. I slammed my fists into the cushions before standing up and joining him at the radio.

"Sorry to bother you, man, but wasn't sure if you knew there was a storm heading your way. Looks bad," I heard Lester say as I reached the control area.

Junior and I looked around the sky and finally spotted the clouds that weren't there earlier this morning, "We see 'em, Les. How far off do you think they are?"

"Weather man said it would hit the east coast in about an hour. Any chance of you and Beautiful hitting land soon?"

"We're about ten minutes from VB area, we'll dock there and head into town to wait out the storm. If it gets too bad, we may stay the night on land."

"Call me when you know either way so I don't worry." I heard Lester take a breath, "Everything going okay out there though?"

I took the control from Junior and smiled, "Everything's fine here, Les. Mitch and I have had many talks and I've learned so much about him. You were right, I needed to do this and get to know him. Thanks for pushing me."

"Anytime, Beautiful, anytime. Love Machine out."

I looked at Junior and couldn't quite place the look on his face. It was a cross between wonder and lust. I tried to think of what I'd done, but all I could come up with was talking to Lester… unless he was thinking about finishing what was started on the forward lounge; now that I could get with!

"Junior?" I questioned.

He looked at me with his lips tipped up in a smile and his dimples perfectly on display, "I like it," he whispered.

Now I was the one confused, "Like what? That we are going to land and may have to stay the night at a hotel we have no reservations at?" He shook his head. "Like that there is a storm approaching?" Another shake of the head. "Then what?"

Junior took my face in his hands and smiled, "You called me Mitch."

I did? I thought back over what I'd said to Les and realized exactly when I'd called him Mitch. Huh, guess I did. "I'm sorry," I said.

"Sorry for what? I said I liked it."

"Oh, well, I wasn't sure you really meant it and I don't want you upset with me."

"Steph, I could never be upset with you."

"How come you go by Junior?" I asked as he started the boat again to head to land.

"Well, my mother always called me Junior since I was named after my father. My grandparents always called me Mitchell and I hated that name. When I joined the Marines, I told them I went by Junior. It's what I've been called and answered to for all of my adult life. The only ones to call me anything else are my grandparents, and only then because they won't call me anything but my given name."

"Which would you prefer I call you?" I asked him while I stood next to him and watched him control the yacht.

"Well, you are use to calling me Junior, so if you are more comfortable with that, that's fine. If you want to call me Mitchell, I guess I could learn to like the name," he smiled. "However," he said as he dropped his voice and whispered in my ear, "I really like hearing Mitch roll off your lips. And as much as I liked it like that, I can't wait to hear you scream it."

Holy fucking hot flash! I about threw myself over the edge of the yacht and into the water. Holy hell! I can't control the feelings I get when he lowers his voice and talks like that to me. I just want to rip his clothes off and have my wicked way with him.

Instead, I swallowed and shook my head, "Okay, how about this? Junior when we are around others and Mitch when we are alone?"

Smiling, he nodded, "I like it." He focused back on the water for a few minutes before speaking again, "Steph, how about you go down and pack a bag for each of us just in case we have to stay on land tonight? We'll take it with us so we're prepared."

"Okay, what do you want packed?"

"Just some clothes for tomorrow and maybe my swim trunks."

I kissed him before heading down to the cabins. I couldn't believe how this trip was turning out. I'd learned some about Mitch and felt like everything in my life was finally coming together. While I'd been upset about Ranger leaving, I now knew it was actually for the best. Had he stuck around, I wouldn't be here now with Mitch. Yeah, I could get use to calling him Mitch.

Once I had my bag packed, I went to Mitch's room and looked around for some clothes. When I opened the drawers in the dresser, I noticed one thing; he had a drawer for socks, one for shorts, one for pants, and one for shirts… there was no underwear in any of the drawers. That could only mean one thing… Oh shit! He's commando. Damn, now how to prove my theory?

I packed his bag as fast as I could and ran back up the stairs. Just as I reached the top, I noticed we were pulling into a doc. Mitch looked at me and smiled, "All set?" I nodded and he turned off the engine before tying up the yacht. Making sure everything was bolted down, he helped me off the yacht and talked to the dock dude who was in charge. Once things were finalized, he took my hand and we walked towards town. The sky was growing dark very fast and the wind was picking up.

"We'd best find a place for the night first or the town may book up fast." We walked three blocks to the hotel to find out it was already booked. We were told about a bed and breakfast that was four blocks up the road, so we headed there.

Walking in the front door was like walking into a mansion! There were at least four floors to the place. The ceilings were vaulted, the furniture looked like it was straight from the Victorian era, and the smell… ohmigod, the smell in the house was heavenly. A plump older woman came through the door and smiled, "Welcome to Avery's B&B," she said. "How many nights are you looking for?"

Mitch smiled at her, "Well, at least one. We were on the yacht when we heard about the approaching storm, so we thought we'd better land it for the night."

"Oh yes, I've heard this one is a doozy. One room for the two of you?"

Mitch looked at me with the question in his eyes. I knew what he was thinking; we'd not shared a bed on the yacht, so should we take two rooms here? I looked at Mitch and smiled before turning my attention back to the hostess, "One room is fine. We don't want to take them all so others can have a place to crash for the night as well."

Once Mitch filled out the paperwork and handed over his credit card, we were given a key to the top floor. When we arrived at the door, Mitch unlocked it and allowed me to go first. I stepped in and stopped! I couldn't believe my eyes; the place was gorgeous. In the room with the king sized bed was a fireplace. On the other end of the room was a door that led to a private balcony overlooking the ocean. This place was heaven on earth.

As I stepped on the balcony and looked out at the ocean, I took a deep breath and could smell when Mitch walked out to the balcony. I felt his arms encircle my body and leaned back against him. "Are you sure you're comfortable sharing a bed with me tonight? If not, I can take the pull-out couch. No pressure."

I turned around to face him and smiled. As my arms circled his neck, I looked up in his baby blues, "I have no concerns about sharing a bed with you. I know you are a true gentleman and nothing will happen that we both don't want to happen."

We stood there for a few moments just staring in each other's eyes. The wind picked up and we could smell the rain just off the shore. "We'd best hurry and find something to eat before the storm hits. I don't think we're going to want to walk around in it."

We locked up the balcony door and headed downstairs. As we landed on the main floor, the hostess from earlier stepped from the kitchen area. "I was just about to come up to your room. I've decided to fix dinner for all my guests tonight. With the storm about to hit, I don't want anyone to have to go out if they don't want to."

"Thank you," I told her as Mitch smiled and nodded.

"I just need to go tell everyone so they don't try rushing out of here like you were about to do," she said as she hurried to the other floors.

Mitch noticed a back porch that faced the ocean and led me out to it. It was screened in so we didn't have to worry about bugs and were able to sit and watch the storm roll in. Sitting on the bench next to him, my right hand landed on his thigh as his arm went around my shoulder and pulled me closer.

"Are you still having a nice time?" he asked.

"Most definitely," I replied. Just as I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to inhale the scent of the upcoming storm, I remember about Les. "You should call Lester and let him know we're staying on land tonight."

"Thanks, I'd forgotten I said we'd call." He reached for his phone and dialed. A few seconds later I heard, "Yo, we're landed. … Nah, we made it before the storm hit, still has a few miles yet before it gets us. … Yeah, we're at a little B&B. … Don't go there! … I said don't go there. … Later."

Looking at Mitch, I asked, "Do I even want to know?"

"Just Les being Les," he said as he pulled me onto his lap. "I love watching storms roll in," he said as he nuzzled my neck. "Do you want to watch it here or from our balcony?"

Oh man, if he kept doing what he was doing, we were going to need privacy, but I was afraid if we moved, he'd stop and it felt soooo damn good. His lips on my neck, his fingers caressing my stomach under my shirt. I wiggled my hips a little to get in a more comfortable position when I heard him suck in some air.

Thinking I'd hurt him somehow, I stilled and looked over my shoulder. He had his eyes closed and his bottom lip was between his teeth. "Mitch?" I asked.

"Just hold still and give me a minute," he said between clenched teeth. I wasn't sure exactly what was wrong, so I didn't move. A few seconds later, I saw him open his eyes and release his lip, "My God woman, do you have any idea what you do to me when you move like that?"

Finally understanding what was wrong, I wiggled my hips a little more, "You mean when I move like that?"

I saw him suck his lip between his teeth and his eyes close again. This time I was positioned just right and I could feel him throbbing under me. _Oh my,_ I thought, _if that is what I think it is, oh shit; he's huge!_

Mitch picked me up, bridal style, and headed for the stairs… guess we're going to watch the storm from our balcony!


	8. Chapter 8

_OMG, I am soooo sorry for the long delay between updates. It started out because my children gave my husband and I tickets for a 10 day cruise for our 30th anniversary, but we had to leave by July 1. So, I had to spend time getting things ready to go and packing. Then after our cruise, I had a horrible case of jet lag and lost my train of thought for my story... but I'm back and hope to get back on track with this._

_I've jumped ahead a little, but not too much... I hope you're still reading and enjoying!_

_~AJ_

Our trip was half over… I couldn't' believe it was already the next Sunday and we only had one more week left on the water. After we'd waited out the storm at the B&B, we headed back to the yacht the next afternoon. Mitch and I had slept in the same bed at the B&B, yet nothing happened; except for the best night's sleep ever! I fell asleep wrapped in his arms and woke up the same way. I swear neither of us moved during the night. It felt so right being in his arms.

I was standing at the edge of the yacht looking out into the water thinking about our time and how much I'd learned about Mitch. I'd learned about his parents, his relationship with Les, his favorite color, his favorite animal, and his favorite past-time; which happened to be watching for shooting stars while out here.

I knew we'd be heading back to land soon and we'd see the guys. I was sure they'd have figured out where I was by the time we arrived back home. Would they be upset with me? Would they hate me for moving on with Mitch? Would Ranger be back yet or still hiding out? I was expecting the fear to creep in, yet it never did. This, what I had with Mitch, was exactly where I was supposed to be. I wasn't nervous about people finding out about us; hell, I wanted to sky write it.

As usual, I smelled him before I heard or felt him. I counted to three before he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him, "Morning, Sweetheart. You're up early," he said as he pushed my hair aside and kissed my neck.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep," I whispered as my eyes closed.

"Why not? Was something bothering you?" he asked before resting his chin on my head.

"Just thinking. We've been here for a week and only have a week left until we're due back. I don't want this time to end," I said honestly.

"What do you want to happen when we return?"

I thought before answering him. I wanted to continue what we started, see where it ended up, and hopefully have a wonderful life with him. I wanted to be able to touch him, kiss him, hug him, go on dates with him without anyone saying something.

"I want all that as well," he said letting me know my thoughts were, once again, spoken aloud. Turning me to face him, Mitch lowered his lips to mine in a gentle kiss. "Just because we will be back home around all our friends, doesn't mean I want this to stop."

Winding her hands behind his head, Stephanie looked up in his baby blues, "So, when we get home, no hiding? We're out in the open with everyone?" Mitch nodded. "Good, because I don't' think I'd be able to keep my hands to myself after this week," I told him as I pulled his head down for a kiss.

"So," he said as we came up for air, "any particular topics for discussion today? It's been a few days since we've had a talk."

I thought about it and decided on nothing. How can I have nothing that I want to discuss? How is that possible? Looking up at Mitch, I shrugged my shoulders,… "I can't think of anything right now."

Mitch smiled at me and I was lost in his dimples… so much so that I didn't hear what he said. Shaking my head to clear the static, I every so eloquently asked, "Huh?"

"I said that it was my turn to ask the question of the day then." Leading us up to the control, he placed my body between his and the steering wheel. Grabbing my hands, he placed them where they needed to be and took the yacht out further. Leaning down, he whispered, "Like to feel the power under your hands?"

Oh shit… there went the bikini bottoms. Damn him. But, I had to admit, I did like the feeling. Wonder what other power I could feel?

"Soon, Sweetheart. Very soon, you'll have that power as well," he said as he kissed my neck causing my body to shiver and press back against his. "Now, while you drive the yacht, I have a question for you to answer." He waited until I nodded that I was ready for the question. Never taking his hands off mine, he asked, "Do you ever see yourself getting married again and possibly having kids?"

I tried to take my hands off the controls, but Mitch just applied more pressure, keeping my hands there and effectively blocking my chance at running away. He knew what my response would be, so he used everything he had to keep me there. Smart man!

I finally figured I needed to grow a set and answer him; after all, he'd answered all of my questions without hesitation. Taking a deep breath I said, "Kids scare me, and marriage… well, it scares me even more."

"What scares you about marriage?"

"Well, you know how well my first marriage went, right?" I felt him nod. "You know all about Joe cheating, right?" Another nod. "Well, with a track record like that, I guess I just feel that there is something wrong with me and if I were to get married again, I'd end up divorced again. I can't do that."

Mitch took my hand and made it ease off the throttle. Once the yacht had slowed down, he turned me around to face him. Lifting my chin with his finger, he looked at me and said, "Sweetheart, there is nothing wrong with you. The problem lies with those pieces of shit that call themselves men. No _man_ in his right mind would ever hurt you; and definitely not like that."

"So, if you take that out of the equation, would you ever consider getting married again?"

I thought about it and finally came up with an answer, "If the right man were to come along, then I might reconsider my stance on it, but I doubt I'd really change my mind."

Mitch seemed to consider what I'd said, "So, if the right man came along, swept you off your feet, romanced you to the core, and finally asked you to marry him, you'd still have to think about it?"

I hated doing this to him… I felt like I was telling a kid there really was no Santa Claus. "Yes," I whispered and looked down. I didn't want to see the hurt in his eyes.

Once again, he tipped my chin up so I was looking in his gorgeous baby blues, "Sweetheart, I'm not hurt. I'm just asking what you see for yourself in the future." He leaned down and kissed me gently before asking, "So, what about children scares you?"

"Oh just the fact that they need twenty-four hour care. Hell, there are times I forget to feed Rex!"

"Steph, kids will tell you when they need something; maybe not in words at first, but in cries."

"So, you want children at some point in your life?"

He nodded, "But not babies," he added. It was my turn to look confused for once. Chuckling, he explained, "I don't want a baby, but I do want a child or two."

"Okay, so you plan on knocking some woman up and leaving until the kid is a certain age?"

Mitch laughed and pulled me closer to him, "No. There are many, many children out there that don't have parents. Most of the babies get adopted quickly, but there are others that sit in the system until they are adults. I think, at some point, I'd like to adopt an older child; maybe somewhere between the ages of eight and twelve."

"Why that age range?" I questioned.

"Well, they are old enough to voice their needs, but hopefully not old enough to have an attitude about everything." Hmm, the more I thought of that, the more I liked it.

"I can see that." Deciding it was time to turn the tables, I asked, "So, what about you and marriage?"

Mitch looked like he was trying to carefully form his words which made me think something bad was about to be said. Instead, I heard, "Well, when I think the time I right, I hope it will happen, but if it doesn't, then I hope to still be friends."

"Why wouldn't we be friends if you don't get married?"

"Because if I were to ever get married, it would be to you."

Holy shit… back the yacht up. Where the hell did that come from? I mean, we've only been dating a week if that. How the hell could he tell he wants to marry me?

"Sweetheart, we may have only been a couple for a week, but we've spent a lot of time together in the past few months. I know more about you than anyone else. I want to spend time with only you. I don't think there is anyone else in this world that I'd want to spend the rest of my life with. But, I also know it won't happen right now. We need time to adjust to each other and let everyone else adjust to us being together."

"I think I need to sit down," I told him as I headed for the lounger. "This is… I don't know."

Mitch sat down next to me and took my hand in his, "Steph, I told you earlier in the week that I was falling hard and fast for you. I meant it. You should know by now that I don't do things without thought, right?" I nodded; it was true. I'd never know Junior to do anything without fully thinking it through, so why should Mitch be any different?

"I've sat up many nights, and not just on the yacht, picturing my future. Every scenario I come up with has one thing in common; you."

As I was about to respond, we heard Les coming over the radio, so Mitch went to talk to him. I stayed on the lounger and tried to process what I'd just found out. He'd thought about a future with me; as his wife. He wants to adopt older kids who have no one to love them. He wants me to be his future wife… ME. How the hell do I respond to that?

I closed my eyes thinking that the answers would come to me soon. The swaying of the yacht on the waves must have rocked me to sleep. When I opened my eyes, I saw Mitch stretched out on the lounger next to me, his arm over his eyes, and breathing evened out. I laid there for a few moments just taking in his appearance; his sandy blond hair, his sculpted chest that was currently sporting a very nice tan, his dimples that peeked out when he smiled, his baby blues that I could get lost in forever, and his lips. Ohmigod, what he could do with those lips.

Unable to stop myself, I leaned over, kissed his chest, and began kissing my way up to his wonderfully soft lips. When I reached his neck, I felt his arms reach out and pull me on top of his body. Stretching out on top of him, I looked in his eyes and smiled, "I think I'm falling in love with you," I whispered, laying it all on the line.

I saw something flash through his eyes, but couldn't tell what it was before he leaned forward and kissed me like there was no tomorrow. "I love you, Stephanie. I have for a long time. I just didn't know how to admit it; to you or myself. But, being here with just you, this feels so right."

We laid like that for a little bit, his hands caressing my back, my fingers running through his hair, our lips meeting every few minutes. It was pure Heaven. And then I had to go and ruin the moment. How you ask? By asking my next question… "What did Les want?"

I felt Mitch tense up at my question and when I looked in his eyes, I saw him fighting the standard Rangeman blank face; shit, that can't be good.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you for the reveiws, alerts, favorites, and messages. I know... I know... I need to get back into the hang of posting all the time. But, I do have another reason... see, I've had another story pop in my head and not leave me alone. I'll be posting the beginning of it in the next hour or so..._

"Don't shut me out," I told him as I watched him struggle with the blank face as he stood up.

"Les just wanted to give us a heads up on what is going on at home."

My first thought tumbled from my lips, "Grandma?"

"No, Sweetheart. Your grandma is fine." Mitch took a deep breath and blew it out slowly; never a good sign if you ask me. "Seems like Bossman came home last night and has been asking questions."

I sighed, I knew it couldn't last forever. I knew that there was a rule against my happiness; if I was happy then lightening would strike and I'd be miserable. In this case, lightening is Ranger. Guess my happy days are over.

"No, Sweetheart, OUR happy days are not over. Not unless we want them to be over, which I don't." Mitch grabbed my hand, pulled me up to him, wrapped his arms around my waist, and kissed me deeply. When he broke the kiss, he looked into my eyes and smiled, "I'm not giving you up without a fight."

I tried to crawl inside of him to absorb some of this strength. I wanted to be able to have his confidence, but I wasn't sure how to gain it. I knew, that for the most part, what Ranger wanted, Ranger got. If he wanted me, I wasn't sure how'd to go about telling him no.

"Steph," Mitch said as he tipped my chin up to him, "Don't fall back into that pattern. Don't give him the power to control you. You have finally broken free of him. You are free to live your life how you want it. Don't forget what he did to you, what he said to you, how he treated you."

Smiling, I closed my eyes and nodded, "I remember how he treated me and what he said to me. Don't worry; I have no desire to return to the way things were before." Opening my eyes, I stared at his baby blues, "I told you before, and I'll tell you again, I've fallen for you and I love you."

I watched as his eyes darkened and dilated; he really liked what I just said to him. He reached out, took my face in his hands, and slowly lowered his lips to mine. "I love you, too, Steph. More than I ever thought possible. I will help you any way you need me to when it comes to Ranger."

We stood looking over the edge of the yacht for a few moments, watching the water pass us by and watching for any animals while each lost in our own thoughts. Finally, I realized what I wanted and needed.

Turning to Mitch, I smiled and said, "I don't want to keep us a secret. I don't care who knows. I'm not ashamed of what we have."

I saw the dimples come out when Mitch gave the biggest smile I'd ever seen on his handsome face, "I like that idea," he said as he began to kiss the daylights out of me. When we, once again, came up for air, I felt like I was on cloud nine. I mean, how could I have worried about what people thought of Mitch and I? So what if the guys at Rangeman didn't agree with it, it wasn't their life.

Mitch and I spent the rest of the day just lounging around the yacht, munching on food every now and again, and watching out for dolphins. I'd seen a few the night before and was really excited to find more.

Sometime during the evening, Mitch headed down to his cabin for a few moments. When he returned, he was carrying a photo album. Sitting down next to me, he placed the album on my lap and smiled, "I've been saving this for the right time. I think it's time you had a look."

Looking at the album, I was curious as to what was inside. Was it pictures of his childhood? Pictures of his family? Of the places he'd been? Finally, unable to stand the curiosity any longer, I opened the cover and saw a picture of Junior with me; yes, he's Junior when he's in his Rangeman uniform. The picture was from we first met. I was working a distraction and he was one of the men on the outside.

"I remember that distraction," I said looking at the picture. "It was the night we first met. I lured Colin Jones out of the bar. Just as you guys were going to grab him, he realized what was happening, and he hit me. You were the first one to check on me after Tank and Lester took him down."

"Yeah," he smiled, "that is a picture from one of the phones that night." The picture was me sitting in the back of the SUV and Junior standing between my legs, making sure I was okay. He checked out my cheek and applied an ice pack, while looking concerned. In the picture, you could see the concern he had for me.

As I flipped through the book, there was a common theme; all the pictures had the two of us in them. Some of them were from distractions, some from the elevator camera, a few from phones when my vehicles had exploded, and some were from he and I just hanging out at places around town.

Towards the end of the book, you could see the expressions on our faces had changed. They'd gone from admiration to love… on both our parts. It was amazing to see in picture what we just admitted to each other. The love had been there for months, maybe close to a year.

I sat there staring at one of the last pictures; it was Junior kneeling down to me after my car had exploded. His forehead was against mine, his hands grasping mine, and we both had our eyes closed. I was mesmerized by the photo and lost in thought when I heard, "That is one of my favorites. I actually have it in a frame next to my bed."

Looking up, I smiled, "You have a picture of me on next to your bed?"

"Well," he said as he sheepishly looked down, "I figured if I couldn't have you _in_ my bed, then that would be the next best thing. Got to go to bed every night and wake up every morning looking at you."

Awww, now if that wasn't the sweetest thing ever! I leaned over and kissed his lips, "Thank you for sharing that and this with me. It means a lot."

"So, any topics for today?" Mitch asked as I leaned back against him.

I began to think. I knew about his childhood, his service years, his time with Les, and just about anything else I could think of. We'd discussed marriage and children. What else was there? "I can't think of anything," I admitted.

"Well, then how about we head to land and do the tourist thing tomorrow?"

"Sounds good to me."

We spent the rest of the day just relaxing and talking about nothing in particular. As we were getting ready for bed, Mitch came over and wrapped me up in his arms. "Can I ask you something?" Leaning back against his chest, I nodded. "Can I hold you tonight?"

How in the hell could I say no to that? Honestly, I didn't want to say no; I'd missed his arms since the night we stayed at the B&B. Nodding my head, I watched as Mitch made sure everything was secure for the night and then grabbed my hand. As we headed down to his cabin, my heart began beating faster and my palms began to sweat. What the hell? It isn't like this is the first time we've shared a bed. Why am I acting like a teenager about to go on her first date?

As we entered his room, I suddenly remembered, "I don't have my toothbrush or anything here."

"It's okay," Mitch told me. "I have a spare toothbrush here, and you can sleep in one of my shirts if you want."

I agreed and he showed me the toothbrush. After taking a shower and getting ready for bed, I tossed on one of his shirts and looked at myself in the mirror. "Okay, this is just like the B&B. Just get in bed and go to sleep. Enjoy being in his arms. Nothing has to happen."

Opening the door, I saw Mitch stretched out on the bed in his shorts, hands behind his head, and eyes closed. Silently, I walked towards the bed. He smiled when I leaned down and ran my fingers over his chest. I squeaked when he grasped my wrist and pulled me on top of his hard body.

Opening his eyes, I saw the glimmer of love and a hint of lust. "You don't know how many times I've dreamed of having you here, in my arms, on my yacht, in my bed."

"How long?" I whispered.

"It has been a fantasy of mine for over a year. When I first mentioned the thought to Lester, we were on the deck having a few beers. He told me I didn't have a snowballs chance in hell at getting your attention; at least not the way I wanted it."

"I told him that I'd find a way if you and Ranger ever parted ways. Honestly, I doubted it would ever happen. And then he fucked up. While I was sorry for the pain it caused you, I need to admit that it made me very happy. I was able to spend more time with you, get to know you even better, and now. Now, I can't imagine my life without you in it."

Kissing my way up his chest, I sighed when our lips met. I felt Mitch's hands begin to slide down my back; on the way back up, they slipped under the hem of his shirt I was wearing. When his fingers brushed against my ribs, he froze and looked up at me, "Steph, Sweetheart, if you want me to stop, please tell me. I don't want to do something you're not ready for."

I thought about telling him to stop, but my body, mind, and hormones were screaming for him to continue. Shaking my head, I whispered, "I don't want you to stop."

Soon, the shirt and panties I was wearing, along with the shorts he was wearing were on the floor. Our arms and legs were tangled around each other, his lips trailing from my neck down to my chest, his teeth scraping across my painstakingly hard nipples. My nails scraped his back as he bit down causing me to cry out in pleasure.

Feeling him throb beneath me was enough to spur me on. My hand slid between our bodies and ran over the tip of his erection. Hearing him suck in a lung full of air was all I needed to hear to know he liked what I was doing. Stroking him slowly at first, I felt the stickiness on the tip. Running my finger over it, I did something that I'd never done before; I brought my finger to my lips and sucked the wetness off.

Mitch, seeing what I had done, let out a low growl and flipped me on my back. "My God, woman. You have no idea what that just did to me," he said as he scooted down the bed until his head was even with my thighs. Hoping that he was going to do what I thought, I closed my eyes and waited for the sensation. Feeling his tongue dart out and touch me gently was almost enough to send me over the edge. So, sue me… I've not had a social orgasm in months… MONTHS I tell ya!

I felt Mitch's tongue touch me again, this time slowly from bottom to top before he sucked my little bundle of nerves into his mouth. THAT was what sent me over the edge. After I came back to earth, I felt him crawl up the bed and kiss me before reaching into his bedside drawer. Opening my eyes, I saw him rip open a condom package and smiled, "Glad you thought ahead."

"Actually, I hadn't until the night at the B&B. When we stopped at the store on the way back, I bought a pack." Aww, so thoughtful. After Mitch slipped the condom on, he proceeded to rock my world and the yacht!

_Well... there you have it... the next chapter!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Sorry this took so long to update and I"m really sorry it's so short. I wanted to get something out to you so you'd not think I forgot about it. We end up back in Trenton in this one... only a few more chapters and this story will be done. I hope you're still enjoying!_

_~AJ_

Mitch and I spent the last few days of our trip on the jet skis or in the Jacuzzi. At night, we retired to his cabin; we both enjoyed falling asleep together and waking with his arms around me. I wasn't sure how I was going to sleep once we made it back home; maybe I'd steal a shirt or two of his. The last night on the yacht, we were docked at the Marina, but neither of us wanted to leave just yet, so we spent the night once again.

"Sweetheart, how about you radio Les and let him know we're crashing here tonight," Mitch hollered from down below.

I grabbed the radio and turned it on, "True Love calling Love Machine, are you there?"

"Hey there, Beautiful. Just the voice I've been waiting for. How are you?" came Lester's voice.

"We're good. We're at the Marina, but will be staying on the yacht one last night," I told him. "What's the news on the home front?" I asked, really wanting to know if Ranger was still around and asking questions.

"Well, bossman wants to know where you are and whom you're with since you have no trackers on you. No one here knows except me and I'm not saying a thing. But, I can't wait to see you guys. I've missed you a lot."

"I've missed you, too, Les. Listen, I need to go. I think Mitch has dinner ready. We'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure thing. Maybe the three of us can go out to dinner. Catch ya later," he said and I heard him click off.

Turning around, I saw Mitch standing there with a smile on his face and his dimples showing, "What's the smile for, handsome?" I asked.

"He's just like a little kid sometimes, you know that."

"Who? Les?" He nodded. "Yeah, but he's a cute kid."

"You know the real reason he wants to do dinner tomorrow, right?" I shook my head. "He wants to see if we brought him any gifts." I had to laugh at that. In thinking about it, that was totally a Lester thing to do. He would so be waiting to see if we bought him anything.

"I guess it's a good thing we did, then huh?" Standing up, I kissed Mitch and ran my hands down his chest before he pulled me in for a hug. "I'm going to miss this."

"Miss what, the yacht or the alone time?"

"The time with you. Being able to fall asleep and wake up with you. Being with you all day, just doing whatever the hell we want."

"I'm going to miss it, too. We'll find time to get together during the day. It won't be all day, but we'll still see each other every day. We can have dinner together every night and keep up our movie tradition before bed if you want."

I looked up at Mitch, smiled, and nodded, "I'd like that. What do you think the guys are going to say or do when we get back tomorrow?"

"I'm sure I'll get the lecture about hurting you from more than one of them. I'm sure you'll be warned about me from a lot of them. And, I'm sure I'll be called to the mats by at least one person." I knew how that would be and I would be having a discussion with him before that happened.

After dinner, we headed down to Mitch's cabin, curled up in bed, and watched Stand By Me… Mitch's night to pick. I fell asleep somewhere near the end. Hey, it's not my fault! Mitch was running his hand up and down my side and that put me to sleep.

Waking up the next morning, I found a rose on the pillow where Mitch's head should have been. Reaching over, I grabbed the rose, smelled it, and moved from the blankets. Looking around, I realized that this place, the entire yacht, had begun to feel like home to me. I wasn't sure if it was the yacht or if it was Mitch's presence, but whatever it was, I liked the feeling.

After donning one of his shirts, I walked up the stairs and found Mitch standing at the stove, cooking up something yummy. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Morning," I said as I placed kisses along his shoulder blades.

"Morning, Sweetheart. Sorry I wasn't there when you woke up, but I figured this was the last chance I had at cooking you breakfast, so I wanted to get it started," he told me before turning around and kissing me.

"Looks yummy as usual," I replied as I looked him up and down.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Arriving back in Trenton was more stressful than I'd realized it would be. When we pulled into my parking lot, I saw the Porsche sitting there next to the side door. "Fuck," I muttered.

Mitch grabbed my hand and squeezed, "It'll be okay. I guess he just finds out before everyone else. At least this way, we get it out in the open before work tomorrow."

I nodded, took a deep breath, and opened the car door. When I stepped from Mitch's vehicle, Ranger emerged from the Porsche and removed his sunglasses. His step faltered when he saw Junior step from the truck.

"Babe," he said as he walked closer to me.

Junior and I stepped towards each other and I saw the look of confusion flash across Ranger's face before he slammed his blank face down.

"Ranger, what are you doing here?" I asked as Mitch grabbed my hand. He knew I needed support and he was offering it.

"I came to see if you were back yet." Looking at Junior and then me, he asked, "Can we go somewhere and talk?"

"You can come up and talk," I told him as I turned back to Junior's truck. I was about to reach for my bag, but it was swiped out from under me. When I looked up, I saw the dimples I'd grown to love over the past few weeks. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Sweetheart," he said as he we walked to the apartment doors. Ranger followed behind us and I swore I heard him growling under his breath. Nah, that couldn't be right.

Reaching my door, Junior took my keys and unlocked the door before opening it for me. "I'll put your bags in your bedroom," he told me as he walked through.

Ranger sat down at the kitchen table and waited for me to join him. When I sat down, he looked towards my bedroom, "Is he staying?" I nodded. "I've been asking around about you."

"I know," I replied. "What I don't know is why?"

Ranger looked at me for a few moments before he responded, "I care about you and I was worried when you weren't here."

"You _care_ about me?" I asked and he nodded. "I'm sorry, but I find that difficult to believe especially since when I said three words to you, you couldn't get out of Jersey fast enough."

"Steph, about that… "

"No, I don't want or need excuses. What I needed and wanted at that time was you. I needed you to stick around so we could talk after I was off the pain killers. But no, you ran as soon as those three words slipped from my lips. If you really cared about me, you'd have stuck around and discussed it."

Mitch walked into the kitchen when my voice began getting louder, "You okay, Sweetheart?" he asked as he stood behind me rubbing my shoulders.

"I think it would be best if I left. Will you be at Rangeman tomorrow?"

"I will be for a little bit. I need to talk to some of the guys. Why?"

"Can you see me before you take off?" I nodded and watched as he left my apartment.

"Well, that went better than I thought," I sighed.

"Eh, I think he's waiting until he gets me alone. I'm sure as soon as my ass steps foot in the building, I'll be called to the mats." Just as Mitch finished his sentence, his phone vibrated. Looking at the text, he laughed, "Well, I'm not even in the building yet and have been called. I think it's safe to assume he knows"

"What?" I asked as he turned the phone to me. _Mats 0600_ was all it said. "Son of a bitch couldn't even tell you to your face. What a crock!"

I was tempted to go to Rangeman right then, but decided to let my head cool before I approached Ranger. I wanted to do this without yelling, I mean let's face it, I'm the only one that yells, he just sits there and smirks.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Mitch asked as he nuzzled my neck.

"Mmm, well, if you keep that up, I'll tell you exactly what we're going to do, but I have a feeling you better stop."

"Why?" he asked as he kissed the juncture of my neck and shoulder sending shivers throughout my entire body.

"Well, did you remember to stop and pick up a new box of condoms?" And there was the cold water that was needed.

"Fuck. I knew we were supposed to do something before coming here." We'd gone through the entire box on the yacht and hadn't stopped for more. Oops. "We need anything from the store?" he asked with a smile.

"Well, we need food for lunch, so I guess a stop at the store is in order." I don't know who was more eager, but I have a feeling it was him since I was being pulled through my apartment faster than if there was a dead body there.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Mitch and I sat at Pino's waiting for Les to join us. I was anxious to find out if word had spread through Rangeman yet. Mitch reached over and took my hand, "Calm down, Sweetheart. You're shaking the table."

"Sorry, just ready for Les to get here. I've missed him." Just as I was about to look at the clock again, the door opened and Les sauntered through and over to our table.

Bumping fists with Mitch, Les looked at me and waited for a hug, "I've missed you, Beautiful. You look good," he said as he sat down. "So, how was the trip?"

"It was amazing. We had such a great time and really got to know one another." Looking at Les, I smiled, "You were right when you told me to just listen to him. I know about everything."

Les looked at me for a few seconds and finally asked, "Are we still okay?"

"Les, nothing Mitch told me changed my view of either of you. As I told him, I actually understand why it happened. I also told him that if he ever needed to turn to you again, I would understand."

"Oh no," stammered Les, "we're done with that. We just lean on each other when we need to talk or beat the shit out of something."

"I know; he explained that to me." Too bad, it would be nice to watch them.

"Sweetheart, I told you if you want a threesome, I'll arrange it."

"What? NO!" I swear my face just turned brighter red than the table cloth.

"Well," Les said, "you won't be watching anything unless you're involved." Fuck me… once again I think aloud. "I'm just teasing you, Steph. Honestly, Junior and I haven't in a long time and I don't see it happening again in the future. We've both realized what we want… and from the looks of it, he's gotten his dream."

Mitch smiled and kissed my cheek, "Yeah, I have. Speaking of that, any rumors around the office?"

Les shook his head and took a drink of water, "Why would there be? No one knows she was with you or that she's back."

"Ranger does," I told him and proceeded to fill him in on our return to Trenton.

"Oh shit. He was there waiting for you? How'd he know you'd be returning today?" Les questioned.

"I have no clue. The only thing I can come up with is he's been sitting in my parking lot for a little each day just waiting and hoping for my return. He just got lucky today."

"So, he's already called you to the mats?" he asked Mitch.

"Yeah, but not face to face. Did it over a text message as he left Steph's. Did he return to the office?"

Les shook his head, "No one's seen him today. He called Tank and told him he had personal business to take care of and he'd be back later tonight. I didn't think anything of it. Didn't realize he'd already run into you."

"Oh," I said while changing the subject," I almost forgot. This is for you," I told Les while handing him a bag.

Lester opened the bag and pulled out two shirts. One said _it's an unfair LIFE, so many GIRL, so little TIME. _The other shirt said _I like girls for their hearts… their big, bouncy, jiggly hearts_. Lester let out a big booming laugh when he read the shirts. "Beautiful, these are great!" he said wile putting on the second shirt.

After we were done eating, Les headed back to Rangeman while Mitch drove me home. Walking into my apartment, I saw my answering machine was blinking at warp speed. I really didn't want to listen to the messages; I knew what they were. My mother already knew I was back in town and was probably demanding my presence for dinner. She probably also knew that I was seen with a man and will have my wedding planned by the time I get there. Nope, not listening.

Mitch laid on my couch and motioned for me to join him. Crawling on top of him, he covered us with a blanket and began running his fingers through my hair, "I don't want to leave tonight," he whispered.

"Then stay," I countered.

"I'd love to, but I have early shift tomorrow along with mats at 0600. I don't want to wake you when I get up."

Lifting my head, I looked into his beautiful eyes, "Trust me, I won't wake up much. Just enough for a kiss goodbye and then I'll drift off back to my dreams." Kissing his lips I added, "If you want to go home tonight, I won't stop you, but you are more than welcome to stay here."

I bet you can't guess where he slept! When I woke up the next morning, there was a note on his pillow: _Sweetheart, I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. I'll miss watching you face the morning. You are so adorable when you first wake up and stretch; the sounds you make drive me wild. There is a bag on the kitchen table for you and fresh coffee has been made. Call me when you wake. Love, Mitch_.

Aww, how sweet was that? Reaching over to my table, I grabbed my phone and dialed. "Morning, Sweetheart," came the sweetest voice ever.

"Thank you."

"Did you enjoy the donuts?" he asked with a laugh.

"I'm not even out of bed yet," I told him. "I woke up, saw your note, and had to call you. That was very sweet."

"Wow, I get a call before donuts and coffee? I'm honored." I could heard someone in the background asking him who was on the phone, "None of your business," was his response.

"Who was that?"

"Cal, being nosey as ever."

"Hey, how'd the mats go? Are you hurt?"

"Nothing that won't heal. I'll be fine," he told me.

"How bad? Am I going to be shocked when I get there later?" I really wanted to know what to expect before I saw him… I hated when the guys were hurt, but now that Mitch and I were together, I really didn't want him to be hurt.

"A few bruises on my face, my ribs are sore, but nothing broken. I'm limping a little, but that will heal soon." Whispering, I heard him say, "Please, don't make a fuss over it. I promise it looks worse than it feels and I'll be fine."

"Okay, but you have to promise to let me take care of you after work." I was trying to figure out a way to get us back to the yacht and use the Jacuzzi. I knew that would help ease his muscles.

"I promise. Now, when are you coming here?"

"Anxious to tell the guys?" I joked.

"More like anxious to kiss you. This is the first time in two weeks that we've not been around each other. This is harder than I thought it would be," he admitted.

Looking at the clock, I saw it was just after nine. "Give me an hour to shower and dress, then I'll be there. I'll call you when I'm pulling in, okay?"

"Sounds great, Sweetheart. I'll see you then. Drive safe."

We hung up, I headed to the kitchen for my breakfast and then took a shower. Once I was dressed, I grabbed my gun, keys, and phone before heading out the door to face the firing squad of Rangeman. Please, let me live.


	11. Chapter 11

_Thank you all for the reviews, favorites, and alerts to this story. When I started it, I wasn't sure how it was going to be received, but I must say, I'm happy about it! This is the final chapter... I planned on finishing it when they returned to Trenton, and I've done that. I hope you'll be happy with the ending (it's a shorter chapter by far) and will continue to read my other stories. Thank you for giving me a chance... it means a lot to me!_

_~AJ_

When I pulled in my parking space, I saw the elevator door open and Junior stepped off looking hot as ever. I don't think I'll ever get over how hot the guys are when dressed in all black.

Junior opened my door and helped out, planting a kiss on my lips as soon as I was in his arms. Not three seconds later, I heard the stair door slam against the wall and footfalls of boots on the cement floor. I closed my eyes as I laid my head on his chest and sighed. I knew what was coming.

"What the hell?" "When did you two hook-up?" "Aww, damn it. Lost my chance."

I could feel Junior's body shaking with laughter. I looked up at him and he smiled, "I guess they know now."

Turning around, I leaned back against his hard, warm body and faced my Merry Men, "Hey guys." They all stood there staring at us and not talking. I was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable under their stares when Zip finally spoke.

"It's about damn time," he said while clapping his hands.

Huh? Time for what? I looked up at Junior and he shrugged. "Time for what?" I asked Zip.

"Time that the two of you finally hooked your asses up. It's been so painfully obvious to most of us for a few months now, but neither of you would act on it. What finally happened to open your eyes?"

"I took her sailing," Junior said. "Two glorious weeks of no one but her and I. We talked and, well, here we are."

"We're glad for you," Tank offered. "Just don't hurt her." Everyone came over and welcomed me back from my vacation and congratulated Junior and I. After the last person left, I turned around and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I guess there was really nothing to be worried about, huh?"

"Just one person and you still need to talk to him. Want me there?"

"No," I said shaking my head, "I need to do this on my own."

Junior and I walked up to the fifth floor and I saw Ranger standing in his office doorway. Giving Junior a quick kiss, I headed down the hall and stopped in front of Ranger, "Ready to talk?"

His answer was moving aside so I could enter. He shut the door and sat in his chair waiting for me to begin.

"How was your trip?" I asked him… hey, I can be civil.

"Fine. Yours?"

"It was great. I'm not going to lie to you. I wasn't planning on anything happening, but things did and I enjoy being around Junior."

"Where does that leave us?"

"There is no _us_. You made that perfectly clear when you walked out on me so many months ago. No phone calls, no texts, no e-mails, not a damn thing. What the hell was I supposed to do?" I saw the look of defeat in his eyes and it hurt. "I'm sorry that I ran you off; I never meant to."

"You didn't run me off, Babe. Not really. I ran myself off. I heard those words fall from your lips, and while they were words I really wanted to hear, I knew it wouldn't be good if I stayed. My life is not my own. I have no control over when or where I go most of the time. While I wanted to be the one that made you happy and gave you everything you ever wanted, I knew I couldn't be it."

"I know that now, too," I told him. "In the months you've been gone, I've realized some things. While I love you, it isn't enough. I need someone who will love me back just as much as I love him." Ranger started to say something, but I stopped him, "Let me finish. I know you love me, but there is more than love. I need a commitment. Not the marriage type, but the type that says I mean more than a job or more than drinks with the guys. I need to know where I stand in someone's life. For far too long, I've been the doormat and I'm done with that. I've changed and I know what I want from life, from a partner, from myself."

"Junior, he helped with you that?"

"Yes, in more ways than I can ever thank him for. He was there when you left; he held me while I cried. Told me that it wasn't my fault that you were gone. He told me you also resigned your contract; that hurt hearing it from him and not you."

"I know. I should have told you and I've kicked myself in the ass every day for not telling you. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted. Junior and I went sailing for a few weeks and it was amazing. Being so free, not looking over my shoulder all the time, not worrying about if he was going to be called away, not worrying about if what I was saying was going to scare him. We really opened up and talked with each other. I found out more about him in two weeks then I ever found out about you in three years. What does that say, Ranger?"

Ranger scrubbed his hands over his face and sighed; oh shit, I broke him! "There was so much I wanted to tell you, but couldn't. I couldn't risk losing you, but yet, I did anyway."

"You've lost me as a love interest, but not as a friend. You are still one of my best friends. I hope to always be friends with you."

Ranger stood up and walked over to me. Pulling me up from the couch, he hugged me tight, "You're my best friend, Babe. I can't lose you from my life. I know Junior will make you happy and be able to be all that you need. But if he ever hurts you…"

"He won't," I promised Ranger.

"I wish you two all the happiness in the world," he told me as he pressed a quick kiss to my lips. "I'm going to miss being able to do that, but I know it won't go over well."

"No, it won't. Not with Junior and not with me. No more poaching, okay?"

"Got it. Now, get out of here, I have a ton of work to catch up on."

I smiled at Ranger and headed to the door. Looking back, I nodded, "Welcome home, Ranger."

Junior and I were just starting out and I wasn't sure where we'd end up. I hoped we'd have the perfect life together. But only time will tell. We plan on spending as much time together as we can and continue getting to know each other better than anyone else could. Then maybe, just maybe, in a few years my name will change. Who can tell? I can't, but I also can't wait to find out.


End file.
